He spent most of his life a poor prospector until he found silver near Tombstone around 1877. Arizona at that time was very dangerous place to be because of the Apaches scalping would be prospectors. Schieffelin ignored all of the warnings and set out everyday looking for a strike. He was staying at Fort Huachuca and the soldiers used to tease him when he would go prospecting saying "the only thing he would find would be his tombstone."