Once again, Dusty takes back the town

Check it out:
online all the time
theepitaphonline.com
Snake, rattle,
oh no!
Page 3
Sneak preview:
Inside Toughnut
Page 4
NO TOMBSTONE IS COMPLETE WITHOUT ITS EPITAPH
50 CENTS
VOL. CXXVII NO. 6
128
YEARS IN
Once again, Dusty
takes back the town
THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008
By Andres A. Navarro
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
PHOTO BY ANDRES A. NAVARRO
Escapule: “I’m going to start taking care of business, that’s pretty much it.”-
It’s Dusty’s town again, and it appears he has all the support
he needs.
Long-time resident and former mayor Dustin Escapule edged
out Don Aiton for the mayoral seat after the general election and
is looking to return to his old ways of running the town.
“I’m going to start taking care of business, that’s pretty much
it. There is a lengthy list of things I need to work on,” Escapule
said. “First, I want to make sure all laws and ordinances are fair
and equal. I will also not allow any selective law enforcement
and I will also make sure to attract more tourists into
Tombstone.”
Although Escapule won the run-off, he didn’t do so by a landslide. According to official election results, Escapule received
405 votes and Aiton received 368.
Still, the close race didn’t diminish the hopes local residents
and business owners have for him.
Ward 2 Councilman Stephen Schmidt was around when
Escapule was mayor the first time and said he’s looking forward
to working with him once again.
“To be honest, when he first came in as mayor I was actually
surprised to see how well he did,” Schmidt said. “He put a lot of
time into the town when he was mayor.”
Escapule has many challenging issues on his plate including
neighborhood flooding, garbage and pollution problems, property issues and solicitation problems on Allen Street.
With Escapule’s previous track record, Schmidt said that he
believes Escapule is the right man to run Tombstone.
“Dusty is pretty much a hands-on person,” Schmidt said. “I
know he’ll tie in public works and get things rolling right away.
He wants to go forward with a lot stuff here in town.”
Aside from city council members, business owners on Allen
Street also see Escapule as a ray of hope for the town.
Kim Herrig, a resident of Tombstone for more than a decade
and owner of The Crystal Palace Saloon, said she sees Escapule as
the solution Tombstone needs fix Allen Street’s tourist problems.
“I hope he starts enforcing the ordinances the previous mayor
has ignored,” Herrig said. “I would like to keep our town as a
welcoming tourist town that won’t harass tourists.”
New clerk, marshal unveiled
By Ashli Woods
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Along with new mayor Dustin Escapule, Tombstone welcomed Marshal Merlin J. Smith’s replacement and a new city
clerk at the Nov. 18 council meeting.
Escapule announced Tuesday that Brenda Ikirt will replace
City Clerk George Barnes and Illario Talvy will serve as
Tombstone’s new marshal.
Ikirt served as interim city clerk in 2006 after Marilynn Slade
retired, and Talvy was Marshal of Tombstone from April 2005 to
December 2005.
News reports at the time said that Talvy was previously
removed from his position as marshal because he did not live in
the city.
More than 80 Tombstone residents filled every bench in
Schleiffen Hall on Tuesday to say goodbye to former mayor Don
Aiton and welcome the new mayor.
Aiton congratulated his opponent before handing the meeting
over to Escapule.
“Dusty Escapule has been a friend of mine for many years,
and I am sure he will make a great mayor,” Aiton said.
Aiton finishing his term as mayor at the meeting by approving funds for the construction of the Food Bank of Tombstone
and announcing that Gov. Janet Napolitano – who was scheduled
as the honored guest at Sunday’s grand opening – will not be able
to attend since she will be in Washington D.C. working as part of
President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team.
The meeting came to a close with sentiments from the outgoing mayor including a letter of appreciation he wrote to former
City Clerk George Barnes.
Aiton thanked Barnes, who will not continue his position
under the Escapule administration, for his service to the city of
Tombstone and said he was “instrumental” in getting the Food
Bank off the ground, finding funding for restrooms at Boothill
Graveyard, preserving of Tombstone’s historic books, and other
contributions during his tenure.
Aiton’s final meeting lasted seven minutes and was followed
by a standing ovation.
“I would like to thank the citizens of Tombstone for allowing
me to be mayor,” Aiton said. “It has been an honor to be mayor
of such an historic town.”
As Aiton and Barnes left the building, Escapule took the stage
to be sworn in as the new mayor.
With cameras flashing, Sheriff Larry Dever swore him in.
Council members Steve Troncale (Ward 1), Stephen Schmidt
(Ward 2), and Robert Hause (Ward 4) were sworn in as well.
Stacey Korbeck-Reeder (Ward 3) was not in attendance.
As Escapule took his seat, he removed his hat to get down to
business and commented on the changes since he served as
mayor of Tombstone from 2000 to 2004.
“They changed the microphone since I was here last,” he said,
prompting laughs from the audience. “It’s nice.”
The council then voted on the new officials, including
Marshal Smith’s replacement following his retirement and the
new city clerk.
Barnes was not available for comment before press time.
Council member Troncale opposed Talvy receiving the
Marshal position stating that he is “not the best qualified applicant.”
However the council approved Talvy’s position, and he will
serve as Marshal for a 90-day probation period.
All other public officials were sworn in including Randall
Bays as city attorney, Alex Gradillas as public works director,
Kenneth Curfman as magistrate and Micahel Trotter as building
inspector.
Fire Chief Jesse Grassman was on an emergency call and was
unable to attend the meeting.
High school sale hits deadline
By Kelly Miller
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
With the economy and real estate market in a downward spiral, the Tombstone Unified School District plays the waiting
game for the sale of the former Tombstone High School to Desert
Life II LLC to finalize.
Today is the deadline for Roger Walters and Ben Brannon of
Desert Life II LLC to deposit $50,000 in earnest funds to move
forward with the sale.
“We’re really waiting on approval for the finances,” Walters
said. “The distribution of funds. Like, you have a bank account,
paydays and things. We’re waiting for payday.”
The sale was originally scheduled to close on Nov.. 20 but
that date has been pushed back until Dec. 19 at the earliest. The
earnest funds need to be received before the sale can move forward, said Barbara Highfield of Tombstone Real Estate.
Walters and Brannon successfully submitted a contract on
July 8 for the property, which included the school building, football field, gymnasium and science building. The sale is expected
to fetch close to $3.6 million.
The men plan to turn the former high school into a westernthemed attraction and hotel.
LOCAL EDITION
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to meet what our expectations and
our goals are—and that is to meet this date,” Walters added “We
remain really excited about doing it. We’re really ready to go and
we’ve gone as far as we can go until the financing package is
approved.”
The school district plans to use the funds from the sale to
build new athletic fields and purchase new equipment for students.
But those plans are on hold until the sale is finalized.
“Right now, we haven’t really begun anything because we
don’t know what’s going on,” said Karl Uterhardt, Tombstone
Unified School District superintendent. “But basically everything has to be put on hold (if the transaction fall through). We
don’t have the funding we need to do the projects we’re talking
about.”
If the sale falls through, the district will have to wait for
another buyer to make an offer, which given the tough economic environment, may take some time.
“I’m hopeful and confident that it’s going to happen, but if it
doesn’t, you know, we’ll plug along and keep doing what we
need to do,” Uterhardt said. “But there’s no way were going to
do those projects as it is right now. There’s not enough money for
it.”
Herrig referred to the solicitation ordinance, which has been
plaguing the town council meetings for the past year.
Many business owners on Allen Street said that they have
become frustrated with people passing out flyers and menus in
front of their shops and restaurants. Herrig said it’s disrespectful
to other businesses and tourists are being harassed.
Herrig said that the existing solicitation ordinance is too
vague and people are interpreting it in their own way so they can
continue to solicit.
The mayor needs to work on a new ordinance that is clearly
black and white. You can either do it or not do it, Herrig added.
City Historian Ben Traywick has lived in Tombstone for 40
years and also shares the belief that Escapule is capable of pushing Tombstone in the right direction.
“Dusty Escapule has been a long-time resident and this is a
good thing because he cares about the town,” Traywick said. “He
was a very good mayor. He did things for the town other mayors
just promised.”
Traywick also said Escapule’s appointments will help him run
the city in an orderly fashion.
There are traffic problems and other issues around town that
the new mayor and council will be able to fix. Escapule will also
help Tombstone keep its allure, Traywick added.
“Most of the people that live in Tombstone realize the only
thing we have to sell is our history,” Traywick said. “The only
thing we have to support people here is tourism.”
Still, there are also some residents that are concerned with the
election of Escapule as mayor.
Moe Sinsley, Stampede R.V. park owner and former mayoral
candidate, said that the town will not run effectively with
Escapule as mayor.
“It’s going to be the good old boys club,” Sinsley said. “Just
him and his friends.”
Sinsley ran for mayor during the primary election along with
Tricia Rawson but failed to get enough votes to be in the run-off
in the general election.
Escapule is only out to promote his businesses and his stagecoaches and suppress those against him, Sinsley said.
“He made all kinds of promises to the city and he says followed through with them,” Sinsley added. “I think he never did
any of these things.”
By Anthony Garcia
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Garbage cans overflow. A mattress rests on the
ground just outside the park gate. Graffiti has been
scrawled on nearby boulders and shattered glass
shards sparkle in the dirt like a silver mine.
Visitors at the Ed Schieffelin Monument find
more than a memorial in this desert. Though the
Arizona Historical Society strives to upkeep the
monument, the group has lagged behind due to monetary problems and the constant influx of trash from
visitors.
“Usually it’s kids that come by to party after a
game and do whatever,” said Paul Kostellic, Cochise
County deputy sheriff, referring to beer bottles and
other trash littering the historical site.
Nancy Sosa, a history researcher, visited the site
in 2002 and discovered the mess it had become.
“At that time, someone asked me where the monument was and when I went out to check it out, it
was filthy,” Sosa said.
She contacted the city about the problem, but
since the monument is out of city limits Tombstone
was not able to help clean up the monument, she said.
Though the city could not help, Sosa persisted in
researching the land and the history of Ed
Schieffelin.
She discovered that 95 percent of the land was
private property belonging to the Joe Escapule
ranch. For roughly 110 years, the monument outside
of Tombstone city limits was considered part of the
state’s responsibility to oversee.
Sosa brought her research to the Arizona
Historical Society and also talked to the Arizona
State Land department in 2002. The Arizona
Historical Society became involved to protect a
piece of history.
“We negotiated with the ranch into letting us have
the land,” said Art Austin, supervisor of the Arizona
Historical Society.
The negotiations were finished in 2003 with both
Escapule and the state land department, which
allowed the historical society to oversee the monument’s maintenance.
The monument became a state park in 2005.
Though the Arizona Historical Society has been
in charge of maintaining the park, it is having problems including massive budget cuts and staff shortages, Austin said.
“Since budget cuts last year, we’re about 50 percent short of staff,” Austin said. “We’re only able to
clean it about once every three months.”
All cleaners must be state volunteers according to
state regulations. Paperwork burdens volunteers and
the monument goes unclean for periods of time,
Austin added.
In 2004, the historical society along with the
Friends of Tombstone Foundation cleaned the monument and built fences preparing it as a state park.
They found about 500 pounds of glass and broken
bottles, Austin said.
“We’ve done what we could then, but it still
needs a lot of work,” he said.
Sosa, who works at Old West Books, urges people to clean up their mess when they visit and says
she feels that there is still more that could be done.
“There’s still about 110 years worth of garbage at
that site,” Sosa said. “We need to learn to respect our
past.”
PAGE 2
Here they come to spend their twilight years
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008
LIFE AT CASA LOMA TRIANGLE
By Amanda Druce
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Elsie Jenkins moved to
Tombstone for health reasons.
Roger Stone moved to continue
his acting.
Terry Fattal came to fulfill his
dream of being a cowboy.
And Nancy Gibson came to live
in the warm weather.
While these people may come
from different backgrounds, they
all have one thing in common:
they’re all residents of a quaint
apartment complex for seniors in
Tombstone and love the neighborhood feel.
Just blocks away from
Tombstone’s gunfights and Old
West reenactments, sits a peaceful
apartment complex which is home
to more than 20 elderly residents at
204 Allen Street.
While Casa Loma Triangle is
often confused for a nursing home
or an assisted living complex, it is
actually low income housing for
those 62 years of age or older who
are handicapped or disabled.
While many residents are originally from Arizona, others come
from across the country to live in
the quiet complex.
“It is amazing the different
backgrounds of everyone here,”
said Elsie Jenkins, manager and
resident of Casa Loma for about 11
years. “Basically everyone is
retired, so they get to do what they
want— not what they have to do Resident Roger Stone (right) and his friend Burt Webster compete in a game
but what they want.”
Jenkins moved to Casa Loma in
“I don’t go often but I try to go as much as
1800s stuff and a gun strapped on your side?”
1998 for the warm weather because she devel- said Roger Stone, a Casa Loma resident. I can,” Stone said. “On Saturday night, I try to
oped a spinal disease that forced her to live in “Where no one will look at you?”
make it an event.”
a dry climate.
When he is not acting, Stone likes to read
Stone works with the Repertoire Company
She was asked to take on the position as in Tombstone where he recently finished play- and write. He is currently working on two novmanager. Jenkins had previous management ing the villain in a play two weeks ago.
els and also writes poetry. It was a fellow
experience in the fast food industry in
“There is a lot of talent in Tombstone,” writer and friend who convinced Stone to
Indianapolis and figured the work would be Stone said. “We just meld together here as a move to Tombstone.
good for her so she accepted the role.
“I said I wanted to move to Tucson and she
community. It’s not who you used to be but
“I really like the laid back area,” Jenkins who you are today. It makes it a great commu- suggested Tombstone, so here I am,” Stone
said. “I think people our ages really enjoy it. In nity.”
said.
big cities, it’s all about keeping up with the
“It is very slow paced and relaxed,” Stone
Stone, originally from Phoenix, lived in
Joneses but here no one cares.”
Australia for 35 years where he was a preach- added. “I like meeting and talking to all the
While Tombstone is known for its festive er. He continues preaching and counseling in tourists and foreigners. I’ll spend the rest of
costumes and acting, the residents of Casa Tombstone. He spends six hours a day walking my life here. I have nothing to complain
Loma are no exception. Many love to dress up the streets downtown and talking to people.
about— I’ll be here until they kick me out.”
and participate in western events.
Like Stone, Terry Fattal is an actor in town.
Stone also enjoys taking advantage of
“Where else can a 65–year-old man dress in Tombstone’s nightlife.
Fattal, who works with the Repertoire
Using water sources well
goal of Master Gardeners
By Chelsey Killebrew
“Master Gardeners is about educating the public,” said Cochise County horticulture extension
agent Robert Call. “It’s not about going out and
Desert gardening has its challenges, but certain
pulling people’s weeds.”
green thumbs around Cochise County have found
The gardening education program has been
ways to adapt to the dry conditions and plant the
growing since the 1970s, when Washington hortiseeds of knowledge for others to learn.
culturist David Gibby began training people about
Officials at the Tombstone Courthouse State
horticulture, Call said. Horticulture is the study of
Historic Park have reduced their water consumption
plant cultivation.
by installing an efficient irrigation system that waters
Cochise County Master Gardeners members
plants in the morning, said manager Art Austin
have begun a monthly newsletter reaching over
The Courthouse also has replaced much of its
1,100 people. Members also answer questions from
turf with brick walkways, which has helped reduce
an office during the week, Call said.
erosion and decrease water use, Austin said.
“We train people so they can use their resources
Watering grass at
Call
wisely,”
noon in Tombstone
said.
“This
DID YOU KNOW?
depletes a limited
includes how to
desert
resource:
Tombstone residents use, on average, 200,000 use fertilizer,
water.
to 300,000 gallons of water per day, depending on and pesticides
“Gardening in the time of year.
responsibly.”
the high desert is difNot only do
ferent than other
The water comes from the two wells in town people want to
places,”
said and a 30-mile pipeline connecting Huachuca
learn how to
C a r o l y n Mountain spring water to the city.
“beautify their
Gruenhagen, presienvironment,”
dent of the Cochise
The city has discussed using reclaimed sewage Call
said,
County
Master water, but it hasn’t been done because of the high
they’re interestG a r d e n e r s cost.
ed in how to be
Association, regardself-sufficient.
ing the county’s high
- INFORMATION PROVIDED BY CITY OF TOMBSTONE WATER
In Arizona,
altitude desert. “The
OPERATOR, JACK WRIGHT.
about 12 coungrowing conditions
ties have Master
are totally different
Gardeners programs, Call said.
than in Minnesota, or even Tucson.”
There are about 40 active members in Cochise
Master Gardeners in Cochise County is a
County, although several hundred have taken the
University of Arizona affiliated program, educating
course.
the community about food production, native plants
Master Gardeners become certified by completand environmental stewardship.
ing a 14-week course, taking an exam and volunThe biggest challenge for desert landscaping is
teering 50 hours of gardening education time.
the lack of water. The Master Gardeners address this
“People like to garden,” Call said. “Depending
challenge through educating the public about things
on who you look at, it’s the number one or two
like xeriscaping, which involves creating natural
leisure activity in the United States.”
water reservoirs and using plants adapted to desert
If you have a gardening question or are interestconditions, requiring relatively less water,
ed in becoming a Master Gardener, call (520) 458Gruenhagen said.
8278.
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
PHOTO BY AMANDA DRUCE
Resident Terry Fattal takes a
walk around the courtyard.
anywhere else, he added.
Today, Fattal enjoys walking on the
boardwalk and dressing up in western clothing to take pictures with tourists downtown.
“I have fulfilled my dreams as a boy to
be a cowboy,” he said.
At Casa Loma, many residents lean on
each other during the best and the worst of
times.
Casa Loma resident Nancy Gibson has
struggled more than most with her health.
She has experienced sixteen strokes, had
quadruple bypass surgery and has stints in
both of her legs. Gibson said that she feels
PHOTO BY JOE PANGBURN the Tombstone community has helped her
of Scrabble on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
through it all.
Although she can no longer read and
Company, spent eight years in Los Angeles write, she does not let her health get her down.
acting in the 1980s. Fattal came back to his
She spends her spare time making hats and
hometown of Tucson to work on a film.
is known in the community as the hat lady.
“When I moved back to L.A., I missed the
Gibson also enjoys an eclectic lifestyle colsky in Arizona,” Fattal said. “Plus, the kind of lecting dolls and covering her apartment with
films they were making in L.A. was raunchy. I silk flowers
didn’t like it. I was homesick,”
Gibson was originally born in Tucson, but
When the city of Tucson got too big for moved to Minneapolis when she was eight.
Fattal, he remembered a place he once visited.
At age 38, Gibson returned to Arizona and
“I came to Tombstone as a tourist and visited Tombstone with family.
almost got a job as a ranger at the court house,”
“I fell in love with the town,” Gibson said.
Fattal said. When the job did not work out, “I told my kids I want to die here and stay put.”
Fattal decided he loved Tombstone too much
Casa Loma residents often sit outside
to leave.
enjoying the courtyard surrounded by their
Fattal agrees with Stone that it is special to apartments.
be able to be yourself and dress up anyway you
They have found their perfect place, for
want in Tombstone.
their own reasons, to call home. *
The charm of the small town is not seen
Shootouts across the border
leave uneasiness in Douglas
By Megan J. Mazurek
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
In Douglas, 10th and G streets are
lined with locals casually window-shopping. In one store, mothers and daughters
sift through sale racks looking for that
just-right something up to 60 percent off.
This is a Friday afternoon like any
other in Douglas. A tourist passing
through would be completely oblivious to
the violence or uneasiness of a Mexican
drug war 10 minutes south in the sister
town of Agua Prieta.
“The drugs and violence create fear in
people,” said Les Stimac, a Douglas local
and employee of the visitor center. “If the
drug war was gone, it would be better.”
South of the border, two large drug cartels, the Gulf Cartel and the Sinaloa
Cartel, are fighting for control on the
Arizona border.
“Arizona is such a key place for smuggling people and drugs,” said Mike Scioli,
public affairs officer for Tucson Border
Patrol. “Basically, they see how lucrative
the business is, and one of them is trying
to own it.”
Many locals see combined efforts from
law enforcement and Border Patrol, and
feel their safety is not at risk.
“If you’re going over at 2 a.m. trying
to buy drugs, you can potentially be in
trouble,” Stimac said. “But if you’re not
part of the drug culture, you’re going to be
safe.”
The majority of smuggled drugs going
through Douglas are methamphetamines,
marijuana, cocaine, and heroine, said Sgt.
Hugo Valenzuela, an officer with the
Douglas Police Department. Valenzuela
grew up in Douglas and has worked in
local law enforcement for the past 14 years.
Valenzuela says Douglas has the same
type of drug smuggling as other major
PHOTO BY MEGAN J. MAZUREK .
This year there have been about 3,000 deaths by armed
gangsters in Nogales and other border towns.
border towns, just on a smaller scale.
Border towns like Nogales and Agua
Prieta have had an increase in violence,
but the people getting killed in Mexico are
not American.
There has been and is an underlying
message not to kill Americans that all
gangs in Mexico follow, Stimac said.
This year there have been about 3,000
deaths by armed gangsters in Nogales and
border towns, according to the State
Department of Customs and Border
Protection.
There has been more killing sprees and
violence in Nogales, Scioli said.
“I don’t know how much has spilled
over to other areas,” Scioli said. “But our
main focus is on Nogales.”
This year, the chief of police of
Editorial Policy
Sonora, Mexico was slain over cartel violence, and a year and half ago the police
chief of Agua Prieta was killed by drug
cartels.
“It was a typical gangland murder,”
Stimac said. “It was a message saying, ‘do
not mess with us.’”
The Cochise County Sheriff’s office
has taken precautions with the drug violence with increased officer safety and
higher awareness.
“Officers are always aware of what can
potentially happen,” said Carol Capus,
Cochise County public relations. “We liaison with Mexico, border officers and
Department of Public Safety. It’s very
beneficial because we find out what’s
going on there.”
Contact Us
The Epitaph encourages letters to the editor, but reserves
the right to edit for style and space. Please limit letters to
Founded on the Southwestern frontier by John P. Clum, May 1, 1880
300 words.
Editor in Chief
Managing Editor
Design Editor
Photo Editor
Copy Chief
Copy Editors
Staff
Joe Pangburn
Lauren LePage
Amanda Druce
Michael Macaulay
Stephanie Jerzy
Anthony Garcia
Megan Mazurek
Janelle Montenegro Chelsey Killebrew
Andres Navarro
Ashli Woods
Kelly Miller
Kimberly Quiroz
The local edition of The Tombstone Epitaph is published by
the students of the University of Arizona Department of
Journalism under the direction of Professor Terry L.
Wimmer, Ph.D.
Use of the name is by permission of the owners of the
Tombstone Epitaph Corp., publishers of the National
Tombstone Epitaph. The corporation grants permission for the
use of the name of the local edition of The Tombstone Epitaph
on February 2, 1975.
Department of Journalism
University of Arizona
P.O. Box 210158B
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0158
e-mail: twimmer@email.arizona.edu
phone: (520) 626-6575
Annual Subscriptions
Annual subscriptions are available by
sending a $25 check to the department address.
Hunting the hunter
PAGE 3
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 2008
By Michael Macaulay
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
PHOTO BY CHELSEY KILLEBREW
John Smith shows the insides of an old device used to take measurements, before the digital readers were made.
Walnut Gulch Watershed
still a research hot spot
By Chelsey Killebrew
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
High school students in
Tombstone may feel like they
have few job opportunities if
they stay in town after graduation, but John Smith found a
reason to stick around for
decades after graduating.
In a field on the outskirts of
town, Smith walks up to a round
metal cylinder that looks like an
old milk can, pulls the bottom
cover off and exposes the wires
underneath.
He designed the digitalized
rain gauge readers, providing
accuracy in the data collected at
the Walnut Gulch Experimental
Watershed.
The WGEW has served as a
research area for scientists
around the world. The two
white airplane hangers overlooking Tombstone’s historic
district, sitting off of Old
Bisbee Highway, hold the technical support for half a century
of research.
Smith, supervisory hydrologic technician for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture
(USDA), was born and raised in
Tombstone and has been working at the WGEW since he was in
high school. The watershed area
includes the upper San Pedro
River surrounding Tombstone.
In past summers, the WGEW
hired students from Tombstone
High School which is how Smith
began working for the USDA.
“Students see there’s something worth waiting for,” Smith
said, “If they have an opportunity like working in the Walnut
Gulch research area.”
Two months ago, the USDA
released a 50-year compilation
of research from the WGEW on
the upper San Pedro River.
The research, mostly funded
by the USDA, began so the government could understand the
dry landscape area of the West
and how farming, ranching and
water use affects the land.
In the early 1950s, most
technical support for croplands
centered in the Midwest, said
Kenneth Renard, a retiree from
the
USDA
Agricultural
Research Service. As farming
and ranching spread west, the
government realized a need to
learn about these environments.
By 1953, two places had been
chosen to fit this research need.
An area outside of Santa Rosa,
N. M. was used until 1976, but
the other still operates in
Tombstone.
Tombstone was chosen
because much of the land
around San Pedro was stateowned, and the ranchers who
did own land along the research
site were willing to cooperate.
Also, the variety in plants made
Tombstone a good area for
research, Renard said.
In 1964, 20 rain gauges and
two flumes were put out,
Renard said. The rain gauges
measure how much rainfall
occurs in a specific area—when
it does flow.
The flumes, which look like
an inverted concrete bridge cradled on the bottom and sides the
channel, measure the amount of
water flowing through the channel as it passes over the flume.
The devices used before
could not measure or control
flow, were too small, and could
not handle the forces in the
Southwest summer storms,
Renard said. The flumes sitting
in Tombstone’s San Pedro were
designed to measure more
intense water flow.
Models of these flumes are
built all over the world now,
Renard said, and now information is available to make educated decisions based on the
research out of Tombstone.
Now 80 to 90 rain gauges are
sprinkled throughout the
Walnut Gulch watershed area
and 20 flumes lay in the Walnut
Gulch stream channels.
Smith digitalized the rain
gauges to improve accuracy.
The older gauges had wind-up
clocks and the charts that
recorded information needed to
be changed every day.
The commercial rain gauges
did not work, Smith said. “The
next option was to build one.”
He took a commercial rain gauge
A TIMELINE
OF
and “gutted it out,” he said. Each
one is on a master clock and
hooked up to a central computer.
The rain gauges, each about
one mile apart, are set-up next
to a soil moisture reader, an
infrared thermometer, and solar
panel, which power an antenna
to transmit the information.
The USDA staff includes
seven scientists with a variety
of backgrounds, including civil
engineering, hydrology, watershed management and economics, Renard said.
The
National
Weather
Service, Army
Core
of
Engineers,
and
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency have used the research.
“People all over the world
site Walnut Gulch” for arid land
research, Renard said.
Jeffry Stone began his
research in Tombstone while at
the University of Arizona. Now
he’s continued working for the
USDA Agricultural Research
Service on a model to predict
the effects of climate and management, such as livestock grazing and conservation and also on
water run-off and erosion.
Erosion is an important study
because it affects the sustainability of rangeland ecosystems, said
Stone, research hydrologist of the
Southwest Watershed Research
Center. If the soil gets washed
away so do the nutrients, and then
plants have difficulty growing
and reproducing.
“We’re conducting experiments with what’s called a rainfall simulator,” Stone said. This
experiment was developed at
Walnut Gulch.
Stone is comparing many different sites to create a model
that will be accessible through
the Internet for land-use managers. By inputting information
about soil, climate, vegetation
and landscape, the model should
predict the amount of erosion a
rancher or farmer may expect.
“Local ranchers have been
collaborating with us and allowing us to do experiments on their
land,” Stone said. “We couldn’t
do the research without the cooperation of local ranchers.”
RESEARCH
1960s to 1970s - Data collection devices were designed
which lay across the bottom and sides of the stream channel
to measure water run-off.
1980s - Mathematical models were developed
from past data to make future predictions on water
run-off and soil erosion.
1990s - Research evolved with remote sensing— the
use of satellite or aerial images to view large tracts of
land — to see how much vegetation was in a certain area.
Recently: Researchers have evaluated climate and vegetation changes,
including Lehman’s Lovegrass. The drought resistant grass has increased in
rangelands, and researchers want to see how changes in drought or temperature may affect plants.
Food bank of Tombstone opens Sunday
By Chelsey Killebrew
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
The Food Bank of Tombstone is holding its
grand opening Sunday, featuring a ribbon cutting, a
vigilante hanging, food and entertainment.
The free event begins at 1 p.m. at the new building, located behind the firehouse off Highway 80.
The bigger space allows the food bank to serve
more families, said Marge Legler, Food Bank of
Tombstone secretary.
“The demand is rising weekly,” Legler said.
“Last week, we had nine new families sign-up.”
The food bank currently serves 196 families,
Legler said.
The city approved a five-year lease for the new
food bank at the Nov. 18 council meeting.
The new building opened with the help of state
and federal grants and now houses a 20-foot refrigeration system—allowing the food bank to supply
more fresh produce.
Donations for the food bank come from the
USDA federal foods, Legler said, and locally from
the church, Vigilantes, Lions Club and women’s fellowship.
Volunteers who prepare food boxes three days a
week for the food bank have helped with the opening as well, Legler said.
Those who wish to make food or monetary donations may do so at the new food bank or by calling
(520) 457-2253.
If getting ambushed by the occasional
gunfight while wandering the streets of
Tombstone or hiking the various trails that
Cochise County has to offer are not exciting enough, maybe rattlesnake hunting is
the answer.
Cochise County is considered to be one
of the most popular places to hunt these
dangerous creatures, and is home to nine
of the 13 rattlesnake species found in
Arizona.
“Cochise County is the rattlesnake
hotspot in Arizona,” said Randy Babb,
biologist for the Arizona Game and Fish
Department (AZGFD). “More people go
to Cochise County looking for snakes than
any other place in Arizona, and maybe
(Cochise County) is one of the top three
spots or certainly in the top five spots in
the United States.”
Anyone brave enough to hunt rattlers
will need to buy a general hunting permit,
which can be bought at sporting goods
stores. Permits range in cost from less
than $33 for Arizona residents to more
than $151 for non-residents and are valid
from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.
Rattlesnakes are typically seen during
the warmer months, typically from March
to the end of October. They start going
into hibernation in November, but will
still be out and about on warm days.
All rattlesnake species found in
Cochise County are fair game except for
four rare species.
The Massasauga is only found in the
San Bernardino Valley; the Twin-spotted,
Ridge-nosed and Rock are mountain rattlesnakes that live in the northern edges of
the Sierra Madre Sky Islands, according to
Cecil Schwalbe, ecologist for the United
States Geological Survey.
“They are all under three feet long and
a couple under two feet long as adults, and
they are highly-prized by private collectors who like to keep them alive in aquaria,” Schwalbe said. “Especially in western
European countries like Germany and
Japan, some of those rattlesnakes can
fetch prices of up to $5,000 for a breeding
pair.”
The AZGFD enforces illegal hunting
practices via checkpoints, patrolling popular hunting spots and working in cooperation with other agencies such as the
Arizona Border Patrol.
“If we catch somebody that has something illegal, then we seize it and write a
citation for illegal possession,” Babb said.
PHOTOS
ARIZONA GAME AND FISH
DEPARTMENT.
Rattlesnakes are known to be among the most dangerous
creatures found in Cochise County.
COURTESY OF
RANDY BABB
According to Arizona Revised Statute
17-306, it is also illegal for a person to
sell, trade or release any live wildlife
within the state.
Some Cochise County residents, like
John Weber and his wife Sandy, make a
living hunting for rattlesnakes. They own
Rattlesnake Crafts, a shop about 13 miles
east of Tombstone that sells various wares
made out of rattlesnake parts. Both have
been hunting rattlesnakes for more than
20 years and despite the danger involved,
have not had any incidents.
“We just never handle (rattlesnakes) —
that’s a great way to be bitten,” Weber
said.
Immediately after pinning a rattlesnake
down with a four foot long pistol-grip
stick with a clamp at the end, Weber
decapitates it on the spot. The average
number of rattlesnakes Weber catches is
about one per every nine and a half hours
of hunting.
Safety measures, such as wearing sturdy leather shoes or boots, long pants and
having the proper equipment and training,
should be taken when hunting these venomous reptiles.
Regardless of the precautions people
take when coming across rattlesnakes out
in the desert, there are still more than 300
rattlesnake bites every year in Arizona
with dozens coming from Cochise
County, said Jude McNally, managing
director at the Arizona Poison and Drug
Information Center (APDIC).
OF THE
“About 85 percent of the bites that
(APDIC) consult on are in the upper
extremity. That means people are reaching down into snakebite territory, into the
strike zone,” McNally said.
Once in the strike zone, a rattlesnake
can strike at least half its body length in
only three-tenths of a second.
If bitten, the treatment seen in the old
movies, such as cutting the wound open
and sucking the poison out or icing it up
won’t work. The best thing to do is to
remove any jewelry from the limb and get
to a hospital immediately.
“No first aid out in the field has ever
been demonstrated to change the outcome
of a snake bite,” McNally said. “Anything
that delays (a person) getting into a health
care facility is not only not likely to be
helpful but it’s likely to make things
worse.”
It’s also a good idea to have decent
insurance because the cost of someone’s
run-in with a rattler not only comes with
the pain but also a hefty bill.
The treatment for a typical snakebite is
20 vials of anti-venom, with each vial
costing between $2,000 and $3,000. After
all the drugs, therapy, consultation needed
for treatment, the final bill can hit harder
than the snakebite itself.
“I personally think it would be unusual
for someone to walk away from a
snakebite with a bill less than $100,000,”
McNally said.
Boothill visitors bring skepticism
By Ashli Woods
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
As Tucson resident Jamie Alicandro moves through the neatly aligned rows of burial plots at Boothill Graveyard, each covered with a mound of rocks to mark its spot, she carefully examines the grave markers.
The first-time visitor of Tombstone is skeptical of the cemetery.
Her father, who has visited the cemetery several times and is
one of many tourists under the impression that the cemetery is
not historically accurate, expressed his opinions to her about the
site before her visit.
“My dad has lived in Phoenix for many years and he always
liked coming to Boothill Graveyard, even though he thinks it is
just a set-up and not really where these people are buried,”
Alicandro said.
Now, walking through the cemetery, she is convinced her dad
was right.
“The set up and grave markers all look too modern, and it
feels a little fake. It’s cool to think these people are buried here,
but it’s hard to believe it,” Alicandro said. “And walking through
a gift shop to reach the cemetery adds to the feeling that it is here
to be a money maker and not a historic site.”
Though Tombstone residents and officials insist on the historical accuracy of Boothill Graveyard, some tourists question its
authenticity.
As visitors enter the cemetery, they are given a pamphlet
explaining the cemetery’s history and naming the locations of
nearly 250 bodies buried there.
According to the pamphlet, Boothill Graveyard was laid out
in 1878. After The Tombstone Cemetery opened around 1884,
the old cemetery went neglected with much of the original features including headstones and burial markers destroyed by
nature.
Tombstone resident Emmett Nunnelly was granted permission from the city council in the 1940s to renovate the old cemetery and turn it in to a tourist attraction. Nunnelly was the last
person to be buried in the cemetery in 1946.
Annmarie Kelly, a Boothill Graveyard employee, said that
Nunnelly’s research was based on records and memory because
most of the grave markers were either destroyed or stolen over time.
“Some of the old head boards were intact, but mostly they
used court house records, family, church records to identify who
was buried there and where,” Kelly said.
According to Tombstone Historian Ben Traywick’s book,
“Tombstone’s Boothill,” Nunnelly checked the history of each
gravesite with Arizona Historical Society records, friends and
family. Metal markers were used to replace the wooden ones to
better withstand the elements.
“It doesn’t seem like the way the history is laid out in the pamphlet that they would be able to accurately figure out where everyone is buried after so many years,” Alicandro said. “I have a hard
time believing that they are buried where they say they are.”
Alfred Albrizio, visiting from New York with his friend
George Kouracos, says he too has his doubts. He wonders if the
research team took liberties when labeling the burial plots.
“It is possible that they could be confused with who is where,”
Albrizio said, while examining a metal grave marker. “The only
way they could know for sure would be to dig everything up and
at this point they are just dealing with bones. They would have to
go through everything extremely painstakingly.”
Kelly points to the sign on the front of the building that reads
“National Register of Historic Landmarks” as proof that the
cemetery is accurate.
The Boothill Graveyard website states that since most of the
head stones were missing or unreadable at the time the cemetery
was renovated, the graves are marked close to their exact locations, but not in all cases. This is not mentioned in the pamphlet
PHOTO BY ASHLI WOODS
Tucson resident Jamie Alicandro looks at the
Boothill Grave Yard pamphlet to find the
entry for “Kansas Kid”.
handed out to visitors at the cemetery.
“It feels deceiving that they lead you to believe everything is
as they say it is,” Alicandro said.
Albrizio, who works as a welder in New York, feels that the
set-up is too modern, but notices the wrought-iron cages surrounding some of the graves as being authentic to the time period.
Kelly said that family members of those buried in the cemetery requested the metal cages.
“These wrought-iron gates tells me it’s old, tells me it could
have been here,” Albrizio said, as he kicks one of the metal cages
surrounding a grave. “But you know how things happen through
history—things could have gotten mixed up.”
Visitor’s Center employee Gail Johnson says as far as he
knows all the grave identifications are correct. However, he adds
there are up to 300 bodies on the outskirts of the current cemetery boundaries that have not yet been identified.
“All the research stopped when Nunnelly died,” Johnson said.
Alicandro said that she feels the cemetery is more of a tourist
attraction than a historic landmark.
“I do believe that the researchers who put this place back
together were able to identify most of the people who were
buried here, but I have a hard time believing that they are buried
where they say they are,” Alicandro said. “It is a nice place to
visit as a tourist, but historically you have to take it with a grain
of salt since this certainly isn’t how it looked back then.”
The Tombstone Chamber of Commerce took over operation
of the Boothill Gift Shop in 2007 in order to make money for
marketing of the city and up-keep for the cemetery.
The money is not intended to be used for further research, and
there are currently no plans to continue identifying the rest of the
bodies buried at Boothill, said Chamber of Commerce President
Patrick Greene.
PAGE 4
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008
My journey to the depths of town
CRACKING THE TOUGHNUT
By Joe Pangburn
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Far below the shootouts and tourists of daily life lay
miles of still darkness undisturbed for decades.
Until now.
It is here in one of these abandoned underground routes,
armed with flashlights Carey Granger shows me the
Toughnut Mine – the newest mine tour set to open in
January owned by Andree and Shirley Dejournett, who
operate The Good Enough Mine Underground Tour.
Granger, the senior tour guide for the Good Enough
Mine, has been working with Andree on and off for almost
a year to get the new mine open to the public.
“Originally when we came in here, this area was full of
about this much muck,” Granger said with his hand just
below his waist. “We had a GI from Fort Huachuca working for us last year and he and some buddies helped us clear
this area out. So we call this first area Soldier’s Pass.”
The noise from above disappears and the temperature
drops as we slowly make our way down to the tunnels.
Smaller rocks skid across stone as we descend.
We click our Mag Lights, piercing the darkness and
begin walking the tunnel.
“Look at this,” Granger says turning around holding a
small, tin. “Tooth powder. Before they had toothpaste they
had tooth powder. And here’s an old coffee can.” He sets
the tooth powder tin down next to the coffee can. “We
haven’t taken anything out yet. You’re going to see a lot
more.”
Moving my flashlight around, the walls twinkle back at
me.
“In the Good Enough, we pride ourselves on the minerals, but there are more spectacular minerals in here,”
Granger says pointing out cave popcorn and black calcite.
“That’s silver right there.”
Walking roughly 75 feet below the surface we pass
through a muddy area drying out from the last monsoon
before crossing under a ventilation shaft leading to the surface. This is one of three airshafts throughout the tour. The
light is so bright in contrast to our flashlights. We continue
on.
“I’ve always loved mines,” Granger says as we come
into an area called “Graceland,” named for the help they
received from Tombstone’s Elvis impersonator, Dave
Osmand. “This is what Tombstone is all about. It doesn’t
get any more historic than this, it is untouched history.
Look at that. That is a winze and it goes straight down. We
don’t know quite how far down it goes.” Granger picks up
a rock. “But it drops a ways. Listen.”
We hold our breath.
Clunk, clack, smack, crack. The sounds trail off until
there is silence again.
“Wow,” I cannot help but say.
“Yeah, we’re going to put a grate and fence around it
before we open,” he says to me. “We don’t want people
falling in now.”
I learn that winze’s were used to drop ore or mined
materials to a separate level, typically to the haulage level.
Since there are no practical lift out spots they could find, it
could be a completely new set of tunnels in the mine.
“I’ve spoken with a team of spelunkers and we’re going
to go and see what is down there,” Granger said.
We leave “Graceland” to the crunching sound of chips
of rock under our shoes.
We come to the tightest spot along the tour, passing
another winze on our right.
“We’re going to build a real stout fence in through
here,” Granger says crouching to go through the tight spot.
I walk through and glace ahead. In amazement, and forgetting the low rock, I bump my hard hat on the ceiling
before moving into a large stope.
“This is the “Cathedral,” Granger proudly announces to
me. “Pretty impressive huh?”
Is it ever. The stope is 20 feet high, more than 50 feet
across and around 100 feet long.
“Most of the tour we aren’t going to bother to light very
carefully, but this area here we are going to light up like
daylight because it is so impressive.”
It is in the “Cathedral” Granger shows me a Dec. 25,
1918 edition of the El Paso Herald. Apparently, President
Wilson was set “to review 10,000 yankees when he visits
army at Chaumont to view quarters, talk with men” one
headline read.
“This will be taken out and preserved,” Granger said.
There also is a Bull Durham tobacco pouch, rolling
papers, part of a box labeled “Giant Powder.”
“This is one of the holy grails of mine artifacts, this
company was founded in the 1860s in San Francisco and
was the first manufacturers of dynamite,” he said. “So you
know this is a late 1870s to early 1880s artifact. It’s one of
the first things in Tombstone.”
We also come across a miner’s shoe, Prince Albert in a
can, an empty can of sardines, old tools and much more.
“Restoring these mines is like being an archaeologist,”
Granger says as we continue on. “You run across all these
old artifacts and it dates the area.
You can get a sense of who was
working the mine and when. You’re
just finding all kinds of neat stuff.
Watch out there’s another winze
right here.”
We turn the corner and head
down a long straight tunnel back
toward the entrance. The total route
will be in the range of 2,200 feet
compared to the 600-foot path of the
Good Enough Mine.
Granger tells me where they are
going to put stairs and pour concrete
to make things easier for people to
get in and out of. “Civilize it some,”
he calls it.
“Does it make you sad to civilize
this?” I ask.
“No, it doesn’t bother me to civilize it some because that way, many
more people will get a chance to
come down and see it. And there are
still many miles of untouched work
in here to explore.” He pauses as we
walk farther. “It’s really a source of
pride, knowing what it looked like
before we started working here. And
knowing what the good enough was
like before we started and then being
able to take people down into it
gives you a sense of pride. It gives
you a sense of appreciation about
PHOTO BY JOE PANGBURN
Above: Toughnut Mine owner and former Tombstone mayor Andree
Dejournett has been working on and off for just over one year to get
the mine open.
Right: Mine tour guide Carey Granger shows where previous miners
would track how many wheelbarrow loads of debris were tossed
down a shaft.
what Tombstone is all about. It is a mining town, not just a Toughnut.
“The size of it excites me most,” Andree said. “It lets
place where cowboys came to get drunk.”
We notice a cave cricket scurrying around as we climb you get a sense of the dimensions of some of these mines
back up toward the entrance. Granger tells me this is about and just how large they really were. This is probably level
the only form of life down here. During the summer, it is number one in the Toughnut. There is probably a second
level. But even still, it’s just a small part of the 350 miles of
not uncommon to have bats in there.
We click off our flashlights as the way becomes brighter mines under this area.”
and brighter until we reach the entrance.
“Pretty awesome huh?” Granger asks me. I can’t deny
him that one.
This is the tour that awaits
townsfolk and tourists alike.
“There will be some restrictions
on this one,” Granger said. “Or at
least warnings. The Good Enough is
pretty much good for anyone, but
the Toughnut is a long haul and has
some steeper inclines and descents.
People with heart problems probably shouldn’t go in.”
Andree has spent a good amount
of time in the mines and is excited to
share this mine with the public.
“It takes a lot of time and money
to get a mine open,” Andree said. “A
mine that hasn’t been used in years,
you really have to do your prep
work and figure out how to dig it
back out, stabilize it, get water and
air lines down there before you can
start drilling.”
The Good Enough Mine takes 45
PHOTO BY JOE PANGBURN
minutes to tour, but Andree expects Above: A Dec. 25, 1918 edition of the El Paso Herald found
it will take two hours to tour the in the Toughnut Mine.