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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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)
