Boot Hill Cemetery

The Boot Hill Cemetery or Boot Hill Graveyard as often referred to is located on a small hill just northwest of the town of Tombstone, Arizona. The cemetery was founded in 1878 and is considered a historic burial ground for some of Tombstone's earliest pioneers. There are many pioneers who have been identified and buried in this historic graveyard. Some, however, were only identified by their nicknames and the grave stones read accordingly. There are approximately 250 people buried in Boot Hill Cemetery and the grave yard closed its door in 1884 after which no further people were buried at this location.

The Boot Hill name was derived from the fact that many of the people buried here died suddenly and with their boots still on. Most of the people who were buried at the Boot Hill also died a violent death. Some of the more well known people buried in the cemetery are Billy Clanton, Frank Bowles, Margarita, Lester Moore, and Marshall White. The gravestone markers are marked with names, dates, and in some cases the cause of death. Today Boot Hill is visited frequently among tourists, in part because of the convenient location just off of the State Highway 80 near Tombstone.