The Tombstone Flying Creature Discovery of 1874 refers to an event where ranchers near Tombstone, Arizona, reportedly found a dead winged creature resembling a pterodactyl. The story, emerging from the desert plains, described the creature as having a wingspan of nearly thirty feet and combined features of a bat and a prehistoric reptile. The event sparked intrigue and disbelief, with some claiming sightings of it in flight, leading to widespread local fear and discussions about its existence and origins.