Description

Edward L. Schieffelin (b.1847 - d.1897) was born in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania on September 27, 1847. His parents were Clinton Emanuel Del Pela Schieffelin, born in New York City on February 16, 1823 and Jane Walker, born in Dublin, Ireland in 1824.

Ed was employed by the U.S. government as an Indian scout and was sent to Apache territory in 1877. He was headquartered at Camp Huachuca. The Sonora Desert was alive with marauding Apache Indians led by Cochise, Geronimo and Victorio.

Ed would prospect looking for his gold mine out in the desert. The soldiers told him the only thing he would find out there would be his tombstone. At the time Ed was only 29 years old. Eventually, Ed found his claim. It was silver he found, not gold. He called this claim "Tombstone". Here in the Dragoon Mountains he founded the richest silver strike in the United States. Ore from mines in the area were being assayed at $15,000 a ton. Ed later discovered several other claims, the "Lucky Cuss" and the "Toughnut".

He was responsible for the town of Tombstone Arizona being established. An official town site was laid out on March 5, 1879.

Ed met Mrs. Mary E Brown in San Francisco in 1883, married her in La Junta, CO and settled in Alameda, CA.

In 1883, he was a member of a mineral prospecting party in Alaska.

Ed was a rich man from his strike in the desert. He later headed out to Oregon in 1897 and bought a ranch near his brothers to prospect again. There he was found dead in his cabin. In his will he asked to be buried near Tombstone in his miner clothing with his pick and canteen. His body was sent to Tombstone where they buried him as he requested.

Ed died in Canyonville, Oregon on May 12, 1897. He is buried in Tombstone, per his wishes.

Sources: findagrave.com; US Census 1880 Pima, Arizona Territory; 1892 California Great Register, 1850-1920.