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Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys

Sat, Jul 26, 2025 11:00AM EDT
  2025-07-26 11:00:00 2025-07-26 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/tombstone-western-heritage-museum-auction-the-earp-brothers-cowboys-20021
Join North American Auction Company on July 26th for a once-in-a-lifetime auction of the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Collection. This extraordinary sale features the largest private collection of Tombstone history, including rare and historic pieces tied to Wyatt Earp, the Earp Brothers, and the infamous Cochise Cowboys. From original artifacts, outlaw relics, and the largest collection of C.S. Fly photographs, this is a can’t-miss event for collectors of the Old West’s most legendary chapter.
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Lot 671

Earle R. Forrest Ephemera Items 1890s-1900s (9)

Estimate: $300 - $600
Starting Bid
$100

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
For your consideration are various ephemera items owned by Earle R. Forrest in the late 1890s to early 1900s. Earle Robert Forrest, an author and historian, was born on June 20, 1883, at the Forrest family home in Washington, Pennsylvania. As a young man, he became an avid photographer, amassing over 8,000 negatives by the end of his life. After graduating from high school, Forrest took three years off from studies. During that period, he worked as a messenger for the local Western Union Telegraph office. He also spent two summers on his uncle's farm in northwest Missouri. It was there that he first saw cowboys outside of a Wild West show. In September 1903, Forrest took the train to Tucson, Arizona. He spent the winter in the Santa Catalina Mountains, working for the Bayless family's sheep ranch at Oracle and the Bayless Ranch at Redington, where he oversaw a big field of wild and half-wild hogs. He spent the majority of the summer out with the wagon, punching animals. He returned to Pennsylvania in the fall of 1904 to fulfill a promise he had made to his father about attending college. Forrest obtained a B.S. from Washington and Jefferson College in 1908, though he subsequently stated that it was unclear how he graduated given his many absences. He subsequently went on to study forestry at the University of Washington from 1908-1909. He spent the next four years working for Washington County's road and bridge engineering corps. In early 1913, he began working as a forest ranger in Montana's Deerlodge Forest. In April 1914, Forrest took a temporary employment with the Washington Record, a newly established newspaper. Forrest's brief post led to a lifelong career in the newspaper industry. He was a courthouse reporter for the Washington Record for six years. When that newspaper folded in 1920, he went to work for the Washington Reporter. He worked as a courthouse reporter until 1955, when a hearing problem rendered him unable to cover court hearings. In addition to hundreds of special pieces Forrest published for the Reporter throughout the years, he was a contributor to Travel Magazine, Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, The Curio Collector, and other publications, as well as an annual contributor to the Westerner's Brand Book. Earle Forrest passed away August 25, 1969 at the age of 86 in Washington, Pennsylvania. This lot features two photos of Earle R. Forrest as a young man, and various buttons and ribbons owned by Forrest himself. The photos included show Forrest posing for a photo in a studio as he holds a large lasso and wears his rancher attire. This was taken just after his return from Babbitt's C O Bar Ranch where he was working at the time. The first and largest button is a class button for Washington And Jefferson College for Earle R. Forrest after he graduated in 1908. The second button is a WWII 28th Iron Division "Welcome Home" button owned by Forrest. The third and smallest button is another WWII 28th Division "Welcome Home" button. The largest ribbon is from the 1st Reunion of Washington County Veterans in 1916. It shows red, white and blue colors and black lettering. The second ribbon Earle Forrest's name and is from the 33rd District Rotary Conference in Washington, Pa. March 12th,13th and 14th in 1923. There is also a small, partial ribbon reading "Host Club" in black lettering, as well as a portion of an American flag that used to be situated on a small wooden stick. The pieces show good to fair condition overall with wear present from their age and use over the years, but no major signs of damage noted. The largest photo measures 7" L x 5" W, while the smaller one measures 5 5/8" L x 4 1/2" W. The largest button measures 3 1/2" L x 3 1/2" W, while the smallest measures 1 1/2" L x 1 1/4" W. The largest ribbon measures 6" L x 1 3/4" W, while the smallest measures 1 1/2" L x 2 1/8" W. The items have a collective weight of under 6 ounces. Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. P391

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