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.

 

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