The Tombstone Epitaph

The Tombstone Epitaph is a historic publication based in Tombstone, Arizona, established by newspaper editor and former public official John Clum in 1880. It is widely recognized as Arizona's oldest continuously published newspaper. The publication began during Tombstone's silver-mining boom, when the settlement was expanding rapidly and becoming one of the most prominent communities in the American Southwest. Clum had previously worked with the Tucson Citizen and had served as the United States government's agent at the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. When he moved to Tombstone, acquaintances reportedly joked that he would write an epitaph rather than operate a successful newspaper; he adopted the phrase as the paper's name. In its early years, The Epitaph functioned as a local political and mining newspaper. Clum was also involved in Tombstone civic affairs and supported the Earp brothers during the conflict between the Earps and the Cochise County Cowboys. That conflict culminated in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881. The Epitaph's reporting and later historical interest in the event helped make it a central source for discussions of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, the Clanton and McLaury families, and the broader law-and-order disputes of frontier Tombstone. The paper's historical identity remains closely associated with the gunfight, although its subject matter extends across the wider history and culture of the Old West. Clum left Tombstone after the gunfight period and later accepted work with the United States Post Office in Washington, D.C. The paper continued under successive editors and owners. Its prospects were affected by the collapse of Tombstone's silver economy after the mid-1880s, when falling silver prices and flooding in the mines weakened the town's commercial base. During the twentieth century, The Epitaph survived by combining community reporting, commercial job printing, historical interest, and promotion of Tombstone as a heritage and tourism destination. The town's frontier reputation and the growth of automobile tourism created new opportunities for the publication, particularly during the revival of interest in Western history and Western-themed travel. The paper was also absorbed into popular culture. It appeared in the television Western series Tombstone Territory, which ran from 1957 to 1960, where a fictional editor named Harris Claibourne represented the newspaper. The publication and its historical rivalry with The Nugget were also featured in an episode of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. These dramatizations reinforced the newspaper's association with the mythology of the Old West. A major transformation took place in the 1960s and 1970s. Investors led by Harold O. Love acquired The Epitaph along with several Tombstone heritage properties, including the O.K. Corral, the Crystal Palace, and Schieffelin Hall. As visitors sought more historical information, the publication was divided into a local edition and a national historical edition. The Tombstone Epitaph National Edition began in 1975 as a historical monthly journal devoted to the Old West. It has published material on exploration, mining, ranching, Native American history, the United States Army and frontier warfare, women of the West, photography, lawmen, outlaws, and other Western personalities. The national edition has attracted readers outside Arizona and has been described as a journalistic landmark by the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi organization. The publication is issued by Tombstone Epitaph, Inc., an Arizona corporation. Its Tombstone office also serves as a heritage attraction, with exhibits concerning nineteenth-century printing, historic presses, hot-metal typesetting, early photographs, and the life of John Clum. The organization has operated both as a periodical publisher and as an interpreter of Tombstone's material and documentary history. A local edition continued through an arrangement with the University of Arizona Journalism Department beginning in 1975; university journalism students produced it on a biweekly academic-year schedule until 2018. The national edition remains the brand's principal historical publication, while the organization continues to present itself as an active newspaper and Old West cultural institution.

The Tombstone Epitaph was founded in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1880 by John Clum, a newspaper publisher and former federal official. Its creation coincided with Tombstone's rapid growth after the discovery and development of silver in the region. Clum had previously been associated with the Tucson Citizen and brought newspaper experience, political views, and civic ambitions to the new mining settlement. The publication's name emerged from a joke by associates who suggested that Clum would write an epitaph rather than establish a lasting newspaper. Initially, The Epitaph was a local mining and political paper. Clum supported the Earp brothers during the increasingly bitter disputes between the Earps and the Cochise County Cowboys. The conflict culminated in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881, an event that became one of the most extensively mythologized episodes in Western history. The newspaper's connection with the event became a lasting part of its identity. Clum later left Tombstone for Washington, D.C., where he worked for the United States Post Office, and editorial control passed to other figures, including former political opponents. The paper survived the decline of Tombstone's mining economy. After 1886, falling silver prices and flooding in the mines damaged the town's prosperity, and the publication could not return to the commercial prominence it had enjoyed during the early 1880s. It remained active through changing ownership and editorial leadership, supplementing journalism with job printing and coverage of local affairs. During the 1920s, automobile tourism and interest in Tombstone's violent frontier past offered new possibilities. Editor William B. Kelly promoted the first Helldorado celebration in 1929, part of a broader effort to make the town's history an economic and cultural asset. The Epitaph also became part of the entertainment industry's Western imagery. It was represented in the television series Tombstone Territory, broadcast from 1957 to 1960, and its rivalry with the Tombstone Nugget appeared in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. These fictional treatments contributed to public recognition of the newspaper, although the publication's own role increasingly shifted toward historical interpretation and heritage preservation. In the early 1960s, investors led by Harold O. Love acquired The Epitaph and several prominent Tombstone attractions, including the O.K. Corral, the Crystal Palace, and Schieffelin Hall. The owners responded to visitor demand by separating the publication's functions. A local edition served residents, while a national historical edition addressed readers interested in the Old West. The national edition formally launched in 1975 as a historical monthly journal. Its editorial range expanded beyond Tombstone to include exploration, mining, ranching, frontier warfare, Native American history, Western women, photography, lawmen, outlaws, and other people and institutions of the nineteenth-century West. The same year, Tombstone Epitaph, Inc. arranged for the University of Arizona Journalism Department to continue producing the local edition. University students produced that edition biweekly during the academic year until 2018. The national historical edition, meanwhile, developed an audience beyond Arizona and was recognized as a journalistic landmark by Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists organization. The publication's Tombstone office functions both as a newspaper operation and as a historical attraction. Visitors can view equipment associated with nineteenth-century printing, including a Washington flat-bed press, hot-metal printing displays, early photographs, and other local newspapers. The site also interprets John Clum and Tombstone's transition from mining camp to heritage destination. The Epitaph continues to operate as an active publication under Tombstone Epitaph, Inc., with Mark Boardman listed as editor from 2017 onward. Its enduring brand combines local institutional continuity, Western historical scholarship, tourism, archival interpretation, and the cultural memory of the O.K. Corral gunfight.

• 2018

  End of university student production of the local edition

  [1]The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org

  The University of Arizona student-produced local edition arrangement ended after decades of operation.

• 2005

  Presentation of a Wyatt Earp gunfight sketch

  [1]The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org

  The publication presented a hand-drawn representation of the O.K. Corral gunfight attributed to Wyatt Earp.

• 1975

  Launch of the National Edition

  [1]The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org

  The Tombstone Epitaph National Edition began publication as a historical monthly journal devoted to the Old West.

• 1960

  Expansion of Western historical interest

  [1]The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org

  Growing interest in Old West history and tourism helped reestablish Tombstone and the publication as heritage institutions.

• 1957

  Television exposure through Tombstone Territory

  [1]The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org

  The newspaper was prominently depicted in the Western television series Tombstone Territory.

• 1929

  First Helldorado celebration

  [1]The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org

  Editor William B. Kelly helped promote Tombstone's first Helldorado event.

• 1881

  Coverage of the O.K. Corral era

  [1]The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org

  The paper became associated with Tombstone's law-and-order conflict and the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

• 1880

  Founding of The Tombstone Epitaph

  [1]The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org

  John Clum founded the publication in January 1880; its first issue was published on May 1.

A heritage newspaper and historical journal specializing in Tombstone, Arizona, and the history and culture of the American Old West.

• Historical monthly journal · 1975

  The Tombstone Epitaph National Edition

  The national historical edition is a monthly journal focused on the history and culture of the American Old West. Its coverage includes frontier exploration, mining, ranching, Native American history, military and warfare topics, Western women, photography, lawmen, outlaws, and notable Western personalities. It extends the brand beyond local Tombstone reporting and serves readers interested in historical research, interpretation, and heritage tourism.

• Local newspaper · 1975

  Local Tombstone edition

  The local edition was created to serve Tombstone residents with community news while the National Edition addressed historical readers and visitors. From 1975, production was supported by the University of Arizona Journalism Department, with journalism students producing a biweekly academic-year edition until 2018. The current publication status and frequency of the local edition are not established by the supplied sources.

• Heritage attraction

  Printing museum and visitor exhibits

  The Tombstone office includes a visitor-oriented interpretation of newspaper production and local history. Exhibits feature a Washington flat-bed press, equipment and displays related to hot-metal printing, early Tombstone newspapers, rare photographs, and material about founder John Clum. The facility connects the operating publication with the history of nineteenth-century print culture.

• 1929Helldorado promotion

  Tombstone · Arizona

  Editor William B. Kelly helped promote Tombstone's first Helldorado celebration, an event designed to capitalize on the town's frontier history and attract visitors.

  Outcome. The event formed part of Tombstone's early heritage-tourism strategy, although the supplied sources do not quantify its commercial results.

  Source

• 2005

  Present a newly publicized Wyatt Earp sketchOther

  Background

  The publication's historical mission includes research and public interpretation of the O.K. Corral gunfight.

  Action taken

  The Epitaph presented a hand-drawn sketch of the gunfight attributed to Wyatt Earp and created shortly before his death.

  Aftermath

  The presentation reinforced the publication's role as a repository and interpreter of Tombstone and Old West history.

  Source

• 1975

  Separate the local and national historical editionsStrategy

  Background

  Visitor interest in Tombstone and Old West history increased, while local residents required a publication focused on community affairs.

  Action taken

  The owners divided the operation into a local edition and the Tombstone Epitaph National Edition, a historical monthly journal.

  Aftermath

  The structure allowed the brand to serve both local readers and a broader national and international audience interested in Western history.

  Source

• 1975

  Partner with the University of Arizona Journalism DepartmentStrategy

  Background

  The organization sought to maintain publication of the local Tombstone edition while operating a separate historical monthly.

  Action taken

  Tombstone Epitaph, Inc. reached an agreement under which the University of Arizona Journalism Department continued producing the local edition.

  Aftermath

  Journalism students produced the local edition on a biweekly academic-year schedule until 2018.

  Source

1. 1The Tombstone Epitaphen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Tombstone Epitaph official websitetombstoneepitaph.com