Presented in this lot are Tombstone Opium Den Memorabilia, circa 1880s. Provenance: Tombstone Western Heritage Museum, Tombstone, Arizona. The first Chinese arrived in Arizona in the mid-1870s just prior to the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad. During the 1880s, Tombstone had a population of approximately 500 Chinese, including China Mary. Though her name was Sing, the Chinese often adopted white names such as Mary or John. China Mary, her real name is attributed as Ah Chum or Sing Choy, was the community's matriarch, an influential businesswoman in the Chinese immigrant community in Tombstone, and worked to find jobs for Chinese laborers outside of the community as well. Mary ran a general store, gambling houses, brothels, and opium dens. She also ran the Can Can Restaurant alongside her husband Ah Lum, and Quong Gu Kee. Mary also invested in various businesses in Tombstone. As one of the famous residents of Tombstone, the stories surrounding Sing Choy have a bit of legend about them. Stories about her paint a picture of a powerful underworld boss who was as likely to run an honest business as she was likely to procure drugs and prostitutes for people who knew how to ask. In addition to her shrewdness, she was known for her compassion, lending money, standing up for other Chinese people she saw were wronged, and helping out miners who were down on their luck. Most of Tombstone would attend her funeral in 1906 when she died of a heart attack. This collection includes a handwritten note mentioning Gu Kee who was China Mary's partner in the Can Can Restaurant, four (4) opium bottles, two with original Chinese script labels attached; glazed clay pottery fragment with Chinese script, Chinese Ginger jar, and a bronze opium weight. Letters included were provided by the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum. The letters attest to the ownership history of the items prior to the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum receiving them. Included Tombstone Western Heritage Museum labels read, "CHINESE GINGER JAR found next to China Mary's house in Tombstone," museum code "TT-57;" "OPIUM BOTTLES Found on Toughnut Street by Bert Jernam in 1932 or '33," museum code "TT250;" "OPIUM BOTLE Came from lady who owned The China Mary house," museum code "TT-66;" "Found in Tombstone," museum code "TT-145;" and, "CHINESE OPIUM WEIGHT from Devere's Museum in Tombstone," museum code "TT-56." Two of the opium bottles are round, two are rectangular, approximately 2.5"L each. Ginger jar is 4" x 4" x 4". Pottery fragment is 1.25"H x 3". Opium weight is 2.5"H x 1.5". Combined weight is 1lb, 8oz.