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Boothill Cemetery Tombstone, Arizona From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boothill Graveyard is a small graveyard of at least 250 interments located in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona.[2] Also known as the "Old City Cemetery", the graveyard was used after 1883 only to bury outlaws and a few others. It had a separate Jewish cemetery, which is nearby. "Boot Hill" refers to the number of men who died with their boots on. Among a number of pioneer Boot Hill cemeteries in the Old West, Boothill in Tombstone is among the best-known, and it is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. Originally called Boothill Cemetery, the graveyard was founded in 1878. Cowboys who "died with their boots on" lie next to housewives, business men and women, miners, gamblers, ladies of the "red-light district" and all the famous and not so famous occupants that contributed to Tombstone's early history. By the 1920s, Boothill had fallen into ruin with many grave markers lost or unreadable. A group of citizens in Tombstone and Cochise County began the task of researching old burial records, consulting with relatives, older residents, and using all means available to identify the occupants and mark the graves properly. The task took several years and the efforts of many to accomplish. This resulted in the graveyard being restored much as it was in the early years when it was the city cemetery.
