North American Auction Company
Live Auction

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.
North American Auction Company tucker@naabid.com
Lot 558

Earle R Forrest Photo & Book From His Library 1902

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
Featured in this lot is this photo of Earle Robert Forrest (1883-1969) taken in Billy Meadows Trading Post in Northwest New Mexico Territory, 1902 and a book from Earle Robert Forrest's private library. 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 an original photo of Earle R. Forrest taken in Billy Meadows Trading Post on the San Juan River, Navajo Indian Reservation, in Northwest New Mexico Territory in August of 1902. He is in full cowboy wear with a pistol in his holster, resting on his hip. He is leaning on the counter and looking to the right of the viewer, while items for sale can be seen in the background. The trading post was twelve miles north of Ship Rock and said to be three miles south of the Colorado Line. The book from Forrest's private library is a first edition titled, "Historic Blennerhassett Island Home, Near Parkersburg, W. Va.: Expedition Against Spain" by Alvaro F. Gibbens, published by Globe Printing and Binding Co. and copy-righted by Merton B. Gibbens. Both pieces show good condition overall with little wear present and no signs of damage noted. The photo measures 7" L x 5" W, while the book measures 8 3/4" L x 5 7/8" W x 1/4" D. They have a collective weight of 4 ounces. Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. P474 B247

All items will ship at our North American Auction Company in-house shipping department. Please allow up to 14-21 days after a complete invoice payment is made to package and ship your purchase. After you are notified of your winning bids from our company and your item invoice is paid in full our new shipping department will contact you. Make sure when signing up with our company that your preferred shipping information is up to date as this information will be used to estimate shipping cost. Once the items have been packaged our team will contact you for shipping payment. Shipping invoices and payment will be completely separately than the items invoice. Please notify the shipping department with any alternate request or instructions at mark@naabid.com or 800-686-4216 ext. 3. For a shipping quote please contact the same information above. PLEASE NOTE a shipping quote price can fluctuate in price. Auction company is not responsible for actual shipping cost being higher than quoted shipping cost. Thank you for trusting North American Auction Co. with your bids and shipping. As our shipping department is brand new please understand that delays can be expected.