Contact: Frank Puncer
Tel.: 520.281.1818
Email: fwpuncer@gmail.com
RENOWNED AUTHOR EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS’ CAVALRY SERVICE TO BE MEMORIALIZED IN WILLCOX, AZ
“Tarzan” Creator and Pop Culture’s Influential “Grandfather of Science Fiction and Fantasy” Commemorated
for His 150th Birthday.

WILLCOX, AZ – The renowned "Master of Adventure" Edgar Rice Burroughs started his adult life as a
cavalryman at Arizona’s Fort Grant in May of 1896. This September, as part of the late author’s 150th birthday
celebration, his cavalry service will be memorialized with a monument at the restored Southern Pacific train
depot in Willcox, where he arrived on his way to Fort Grant (35 miles north).

The influential creator of Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars, and The Land That Time Forgot series of
stories wrote in his “Autobiography” that he specifically requested “to be sent to the worst post in the United
States” and was then promptly assigned to Fort Grant in Arizona Territory, where his troop would spend some
time hunting after the Apache Kid and other outlaws.

Many believe that Burroughs’ initial stay in Arizona influenced his first Martian story, Under the Moons of
Mars, which begins with the first chapter titled “On the Arizona Hills.” The John Carter Martian stories would
go on to influence generations of science fiction and fantasy books and movies, and would inspire many young
people to become scientists, engineers, and astronauts. He would later author the books The War Chief and
Apache Devil, both set in Arizona during the Apache Wars of the 1860s – 1880s.

This Willcox Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering will take place from September 25 to
28, 2025, with the 7th Cavalry Historical Monument formal dedication ceremony on Saturday, September 27th
from 10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon near the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot.

The monument dedication at the Willcox train depot will include guest speakers and participation of local
Buffalo Soldier reenactors. All other convention events will take place at the Elks Lodge #2131 in Willcox, and
will include discussion panels, a “huckster” (vendor) room, Guest of Honor and speaker Jeffrey J. Mariotte
(author of Tarzan and the Forest of Stone), Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. speakers, a Saturday night banquet/
dinner, a Tarzan movie screening, and other surprises. Presentations will also be made by ERB great-grand-
daughter Kathy Bonnaud, Floyd Gray, Bernd Brand, Henry G. Franke III (Colonel, US Army, Retired), Scott Tracy
Griffin, and Gary Buckingham.

These events are sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Valley Historical Society and the Apache Devils chapter of
The Burroughs Bibliophiles. The celebration is open to the public for free (except for the dinner and movie),
but full attendees can register for a fee that covers a goodie bag, a huckster table, and the Saturday dinner.
This is a must-attend event for fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs and pop-culture historians alike. If you’d like to
visit the place where it all began, don’t miss this very special celebration. (Note that some convention
activities will require full event registration – the registration form is provided separately.)

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Willcox is offering a special daily room rate of $119 plus taxes for the nights
of 25 to 27 September for attendees. The group name is “ECOF.” You can make reservations at this rate by
calling the hotel at (520) 384-3333; rooms are limited. The address is 1251 N. Virginia Ave, Willcox, AZ 85643.
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If you would like more information about the 2025 ECOF event, please call Frank Puncer at 520.281.1818, or
email him at fwpuncer@gmail.com.

 

REGISTRATION FORM TO PRINT OUT

(SAVE AND PRINT OUT)

This is a reminder about the upcoming Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering in Willcox, Arizona, from Thursday, 25 September to Sunday, 28 September. Please join us for a celebration of the 150th birthday of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The highlight will be the formal dedication of the "ERB 7th Cavalry Historical Monument" at the historic Railroad Depot in Willcox on Saturday, 27 September, from 10:00 am to noon.

ERB arrived in Willcox by train on May 22, 1896, and stayed there overnight before traveling to nearby Fort Grant to start his service as an Army private in B Troop, 7th U.S. Cavalry. He would serve as a cavalryman for 10 months before being discharged due to a heart condition. ERB's time in Arizona had a lasting impact on his life and influenced a number of his stories.

For more information about the ECOF Gathering and the point of contact, and to see the registration form, go to https://www.erbzine.com/mag80/8072.html. There are a few hotel rooms still available at the convention rate at the Holiday Inn Express Willcox. When these run out, an alternative is the Days Inn by Wyndham Willcox.

Besides the dedication ceremony in downtown Willcox, most convention activities will be in the Willcox Elks Lodge, including speakers, presentations, and a movie screening. These are all open for free. A registration fee is necessary to attend the ECOF banquet on Saturday evening and to acquire one of the limited number of convention packages, which will feature a substantial set of items. If you have the time, consider visiting local attractions such as the town of Tombstone (scene of the gunfight at the OK Corral), Warren Earp's gravesite in the Willcox Pioneer Cemetery, the Rex Allen "Arizona Cowboy" Museum in Willcox, and the Sulphur Springs Valley Historical Society and Museum.

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