Nestled on the side of a hill overlooking the Northern portion of Tombstone and just as you are entering town lies one of the most famous cemeteries in western history. Boot Hill Cemetery is known to hold some of the baddest gunslingers that ever tried to take over a town...the Clanton's and the McLaury's. They, having been shot during the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, eventually ended up here to be laid to their final resting place...or did they?
Among all the southwestern shrubbery, the cactus, the prickly pears and dirt are stories that come from locals and visitors alike of visiting Boot Hill Cemetery and taking a picture of someone or having someone take their picture and finding a guest in the picture with them. Now remember, Boot Hill Cemtery is not open at night...EVER!! The local town marshall will certainly come to find out who is entering the cemtery if it is discovered that someone has entered.
The Ghost Trackers and the Movie Mix Production crew did obtain permission for a late night filming in Boot Hill Cemetery and I must say what an experience that was. It was dark, save for one large fluorescent light mounted on the adjoining building at the top of the hill. As you are descending the bottom of the cemetery and down the hill, you have almost no light. It is extremely dark, unusually quiet and very still. It seems that there are not many noises at the base of the cemetery. I cannot say what the reason for that is, except that it may be because of the possibility that spirits are there.
Although photographically, nothing that we could positively say was paranormal was captured on film...the eeriness was enough to make even the most hard core ghost hunter shake in their....boots.
We threw in Les Moore's headstone as it was positively humorous in a place where there is no more humor. The other plot that holds the four headstones are the Clanton's and the McLaury's headstones. They are buried midway down the hill amongst other thieves, people who were shot, stabbed or just found dead somewhere and were brought to be buried there. There are even people who are buried there on the hill that have "UNKNOWN" on the headstone because they never knew who it was that had died. There were always people dying. It was unusual when someone died of natural causes
This headstone interested me so much for the history behind it as opposed to the headstone itself. It reads:
"John Swain (Slaughter) Born June 1845 Former Slave Who Came To Tombstone 1879 Died February 8, 1945 Erected By The Personnel At Fort Huachuca And Friends Of Tombstone In Memory Of A Worthy Pioneer"
This was a former slave who made his way to Tombstone to make a life and apparently was successful. He has the last name of Slaughter which must mean that he was taken in by the Slaughter family of Tombstone. He apparently lived out his life as a slave but he died a free man.
/www.sgha.net/az/tombstone/boothill.html
). I hope the name didn't curse him...
