PIPE SPRING NATIONAL MONUMENT — William Hamblin, also known as “Gunlock Bill,” was a sharpshooter who arrived in the area with an advance party in 1858. Hamblin’s ability with a rifle was a prime source of income for him and his associates, who wagered that he could shoot a hole through a kerchief from 50 yards away. He hit the target, but the bullet didn’t make a hole because the cloth merely gave way.

Windsor Castle located at Pipe Spring National Monument in northwest Arizona. Source: Wikipedia

Upset by the apparent failure, but determined to prove his marksmanship, Hamblin bet he could shoot the bottom out of another man’s pipe. The pipe’s owner, a sensible man, said he wouldn’t clench the pipe between his teeth while Hamblin shot at it, but did agree to set it on a rock. Hamblin fired once and blew the bottom off. As a result, the place became known as Pipe Spring. In 1932, Pipe Spring National Monument was set aside by the federal government.