The Main Cemetery
I have been distracted and neglectful of this blog for the past week. But now that I have a moment, I want to share photos I took last weekend, during another trip to historic Tombstone, AZ. This time around, I wanted photos of Boot Hill, the cemetery where many (in)famous Tombstone residents are buried. This must be the third or fourth time ever that I have been to Boot Hill, and still the view of desert distance is spectacular. Here, among the tombstones, stand ocotillo, prickly pear, and cholla, along with a palm tree (Mexican fan palm, I think) off to the side.
Above stands the headstone of Marshal Fred White, whose death from a gunshot wound at the hands of "Curly" Bill Brocius marked the beginning of conflict between Brocius' cowboy gang and Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and Doc Holliday. That conflict lead to the legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. To this day, Tombstone locals reenact that famous gunfight daily for tourists wishing to experience a piece of southern Arizona history.
Many of the headstones found on Boot Hill are quite colorful in their choice of wording.
More colorfully worded headstones, above.
Above and below, headstones for members of the Clanton and McLaury clans, who fell during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, defeated by the Earps and Doc Holliday.
Apart from the rest of the cemetery, Tombstone has a memorial to Jewish pioneers and their Native American friends. Above stands the Hebrew word, "Shalom," meaning "Hello," "Goodbye," and, for this context, "Peace." In truth, I do not know how many, if any, Jews reside in Tombstone or its surrounding area today, but it's good to see an acknowledgement that Jews arrived and settled in the Old West. As an Arizona Jew, I am happy that this memorial is here.
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