41 Facts About Ed Schieffelin

Edward Lawrence Schieffelin was an American prospector and Indian Scout who discovered silver in the Arizona Territory, an event that led to the founding of Tombstone.

Ed Schieffelin entered into a partnership with his brother Al and mining engineer Richard Gird in a handshake deal that produced millions of dollars in wealth for all three men.

Ed Schieffelin was born in a coal-mining region of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, the son of a prominent New York and Pennsylvania family, in 1847.

Ed Schieffelin was captured in 1779 and held prisoner in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Ed Schieffelin escaped to Canada, where in 1780 he was appointed a lieutenant in the Queen's Rangers by Henry Clinton.

Ed Schieffelin spent time in Montreal and Detroit, before returning to New York, where in 1794 he founded a drug company with his brother Lawrence.

At age 17, Ed Schieffelin set out on his own as a prospector and miner.

Ed Schieffelin began looking for gold and silver in about 1865.

Ed Schieffelin wore clothing pieced and patched from deerskins, corduroy and flannel, and his hat was originally a slouch hat that had been pieced with rabbit skin until very little of the original felt remained.

Ed Schieffelin accompanied the scouts on a few trips into the back country while prospecting part-time.

Ed Schieffelin finally decided to stay put and explore the hills east full-time.

Ed Schieffelin built a cabin near the San Pedro River after finding a small silver deposit nearby.

Ed Schieffelin hired three other white men and about a dozen Mexican miners.

When friend and fellow army scout Al Sieber learned what Ed Schieffelin was up to, he is quoted as telling him, "The only rock you will find out there will be your own tombstone".

In 1877, Ed Schieffelin used Brunckow's cabin as a base of operations to survey the country.

Ed Schieffelin's claim was sited near Lenox's grave site, and when he filed his first mining claim on September 21,1877, he fittingly named his stake "Tombstone".

Flat broke, Ed Schieffelin persuaded William Griffith to pay for the legal paperwork required to file a mining claim on September 3,1877.

Ed Schieffelin believed Al was working the Silver King mine, about 180 miles to the north in central Arizona Territory near present-day Globe.

Ed Schieffelin spent his 30 cents on tobacco and had to pause in his search for his brother to earn enough money to go on.

Ed Schieffelin found a job as a hoist operator at the Champion silver mine, and for fourteen days hauled up a dozen tons of ore every night by cranking a hand windlass.

Unconvinced, Ed Schieffelin showed the samples to 20 or 30 others who had some expertise, and they all thought the ore worthless.

Frustrated, Ed Schieffelin threw his ore specimens out his brother's cabin door, as far as he could throw, but at the last minute held on to three of them.

Ed Schieffelin found that Schieffelin's initial find of silver ore was valuable, but within a few weeks of mining the vein, Ed discovered it ended in a pinch about three feet deep.

Ed Schieffelin continued his search for many more weeks until one day Al found Ed joyously exclaiming over another sample of float ore he had found.

On June 17,1879, Ed Schieffelin showed up in Tucson driving the blue spring wagon carrying the first load of silver bullion valued at $18,744.

Williams and Friday took the higher end, which they called the Grand Central, and the Ed Schieffelin company took the lower end, which they named the Contention in remembrance of the quarrel that led to its founding.

Ed Schieffelin preferred prospecting to running a mine and he left Tombstone to find more ore.

On March 13,1879, Al and Ed Schieffelin sold their two-thirds interest in the Tombstone Mining and Milling Company, which owned the Tough Nut mine, for US$1 million each to the Corbin brothers, Hamilton Distin of Philadelphia, and Simmons Squire of Boston.

Gird remained in the territory, but Ed Schieffelin left to pursue other interests.

Ed Schieffelin traveled to New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, and other cities.

Ed Schieffelin had made a practice of studying maps and believed there was a great "continental belt" of mineral wealth that extended from South America through Mexico, the United States, and British Columbia.

Ed Schieffelin began the expedition with his brother Al and three others on a trip up the Yukon River.

Ed Schieffelin prospected during the trip in Alaska and found some specks of gold.

Ed Schieffelin was for a while convinced he had found the continental belt he had been searching for.

Ed Schieffelin decided that mining in Alaska was a lost cause and he returned to the lower 48 states.

In 1897 Ed Schieffelin bought a ranch near his brothers Effingham and Jacob outside Woodville, now Rogue River, Oregon.

Ed Schieffelin continued prospecting in the Canyonville area, where he searched for gold and silver.

Ed Schieffelin did not leave a map or directions behind pointing to the origins of his discovery.

Ed Schieffelin was initially buried near his cabin about 20 miles east of Canyonville.

Ed Schieffelin was buried as his will specified: in mining clothes, with pick, shovel, and his old canteen.

Ed Schieffelin divided his estate between his wife and his brother Jay.