Hysterical Journey To Historic Places

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BRUNKOW’S CABIN











Frederick Brunkow was an exiled Bavarian mining engineer educated at the University of Westphalia. He was associated through Herman Ehrenberg with Charles Poston and the Sonora Mining Company. In 1858, twenty years before Tombstone was even a glimmer in Ed Schiefflin’s eye, Brunkow and three partners began prospecting for silver east of the San Pedro River near where Charleston was later to be built. For helpers they hired a dozen or Mexican laborers. They built an adobe cabin and began digging prospect holes. By 1860 they had 6 shallow prospects that were showing poorly. Brunkow was no doubt a stern taskmaster to work for, and the Mexican laborers were probably thinking they were past due for a payday. One of the partners, a man named Williams, went off to Fort Buchanan to purchase supplies. The Mexicans thought he was using their wages to buy them, and revolted. When Williams returned a few days later he found that both of his partners had been murdered and everything that could be carried off had been stolen. Brunkow’s body was found at the bottom of one of the prospect holes with a rock drill pounded through his chest and there was no trace of the Mexicans. The mining operation there was abandoned but the cabin remained. The Cochise War broke out in 1861 and through the next few years seventeen other people were murdered there due to Apache depredation. In 1877 Ed Schiefflin, his brother Al, and Dick Gird used the cabin in the prospecting forays that lead to the location of the Tombstone ore bodies. Some of the original Tombstone assays were done at Brunkow’s Cabin. The Mexican laborers were never brought to justice.

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Photos

BRUNCKOW'S CABIN
From the San Pedro River bridge on Charleston Road go northeast about 1.75 miles towards Tombstone to Brunckow Road. Turn right onto Brunckow Road and park. The road is closed to all but "administrative" traffic. Find the cement mill foundation nearby and look for a faint road that goes off to the southwest sort of parallel to Charleston Road. Hike down that road about a third of a mile. The cabin ruins will be on top of a small hill just past the wash.

BRUNCKOW'S PROSPECTS
From the cabin the prospects extend from the west to the north about 250 yards. They are on the other side of the wash near Charleston Road. Brunckow's body was found at the bottom of the one that the Mexicans were working in when they found out he was going to stiff them on their pay again. Probably it was one of the holes on either end.