“Tarzan” Creator and Pop Culture’s Influential
“Grandfather of Science Fiction and Fantasy”
Commemorated for His 150th Birthday
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 (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 and the forthcoming Beyond Thirty: A World Reborn), 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-granddaughter Kathy Bonnaud, Floyd Gray, Bernd Brand, Henry G. Franke III (Colonel, US Army, Retired), Gary A. Buckingham, and others.
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. (Special Event Bags and Contents are Available for the First 50 Registrants.)
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 here.)
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.
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.
Breaking News—An Amazing Discovery!
Frank Puncer has just informed us about some HUGE historic news: The Sulphur Springs Valley Historical Society has discovered Edgar Rice Burroughs’ original signature in the 1896 registry book of the Willcox House/Hotel! The entry reads “Edgar R. Burroughs” and is dated Friday, May 22, 1896, indicating that he checked into the hotel at 5:30 p.m. and stayed in the “S Room,” short for “salesmen’s room”—exactly as he related in his unpublished biography! (Note: We announced at San Diego Comic Con that we will be publishing ERB’s autobiography later this year. Stay tuned for preordering details for Trailblazer: The Autobiography of Tarzan’s Creator, which we will send out to subscribers of our email newsletter on September 1, ERB’s birthday!) This exciting discovery is the first corroborating evidence of ERB’s very first night in the Arizona Territory!
Just as exciting, we are pleased to announce that the 1896 registry with Edgar Rice Burroughs’ signature will be on display in the Elk’s Lodge during ECOF 2025 for all fans to see.
Trademarks Tarzan®, Tarzan of the Apes®, John Carter®, John Carter of Mars®, The Land That Time Forgot®, The War Chief™, Beyond Thirty™, Edgar Rice Burroughs®, and Master of Adventure™ Owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Used by Permission.
