Tombstone Exploration Corporation to Drill for Gold and Silver Ore in Historic Tombstone Mining District

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Tombstone will be explored for ore starting next month.

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The former mining boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona could see a resurgence in mining soon.

Local company Tombstone Exploration Corporation announced that it's scheduled to begin an extensive drilling program in April. The company, which owns 11,500 acres of historical mining land in the desert around Tombstone, will drill at multiple sites across five sections that total 2,500 acres in the Tombstone Mining District.

Sites include new explorations as well as deeper drilling into existing mines, including the State of Maine Mine. The mine was drilled down 200 feet in the 1980s, but TEC plans to explore as deep as 600 to 800 feet.

 

Tombstone Exploration Corporation will be looking for gold, silver, and copper ore at the sites in the Tombstone District, which is famous for its high-grade ore. The town of Tombstone was founded upon mining in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin, who was told the only thing he'd find in that part of the Arizona Territory was his tombstone. He named the town after that omen and found a wealth of gold and silver.

After a series of fires and flooded mines, Tombstone declined as a boomtown, but re-emerged as a tourist attraction in the 1920s. People still visit Tombstone to watch re-enactments of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral or take a self-guided tour through the historic (and supposedly haunted) Bird Cage Theater.

But mining operations could conceivably commence in the future. After conducting mineral studies and procuring all the necessary permits from the State of Arizona Land Department, TEC executives believe they'll find what they're looking for at the sites. Tombstone Exploration Vice President Steven J. Radvek told Marketwire, "The areas we are drilling have potential to host significant gold and silver mineralization."

Check back with Valley Fever next week, when we hope to have comments and details on the drilling program from Tombstone Exploration Corporation President Alan Brown.