Check out the town that was too tough to die, although it almost did.
Tombstone, Arizona, is known for the O.K. Corral and all that Old Western fun. The town was founded back in 1879 as a silver mining town that sprung up overnight. It also went bust overnight, buy 1900 the population of 14,000 had dropped to 700. The mines had dried up.
The only thing going in Tombstone today is tourism. The town has now become a great cheesy tourist trap. I got to say, they did a great job.
The town too tough to die” is apparently the city’s motto.
Looking down the main drag.
I’m sure that the original inhabitants had ice cream sandwiches.
The Bird Cage Theatre, apparently where sketchy things happened.
Wells Fargo and Doc Holliday’s Saloon. Did he own a saloon?
The OK Corral. Apparently, the gun fight happened in a nearby empty lot and not at the corral.
You can walk where they fell and watch a recreation gunfight. I didn’t buy in.
The Old Courthouse was saved from abandonment and turned into a museum in the 1950s.
Tombstone, Arizona has a Saginaw, Michigan (I’m from near there) connection which was really unexpected.
The 1882 Adobe Home built by Michigan native, Allen English.
My favorite thing n Tombstone was the Boot Hill Graveyard. Yes, it has been recreated but it’s still delightful.
The Boot Hill Graveyard. I got this great guide to all the tombs with some great stories attached, all based on local lore and memories.
“John Heath was taken from the county jail and lynched by a Bisbee (nearby city) mob, on February 22, 1884. He was called the leader of the five men who were legally hanged and was said to have planned the robbery. He was hanged from a telegraph pole a short distance west of the Courthouse.” The guide had some interesting and grisly stories.
Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury, and Frank McLaury were murdered on the streets of Tombstone in 1881, the results of the O.K. Corral shootout.
George Johnson was hanged by mistake. He had innocently bought a stolen horse and suffered the consequences.
“Here lies Lester Moore. Four Slugs from a 44. No les, no more.” Moore was a Wells Fargo agent and had a dispute with a man over a package. Both died.
I usually avoid tourist traps, but Tombstone was delightfully cheesy. You can easily spend a day here (and lots of money) to see all the attractions and shows. My favorite of course was the Boot Hill Graveyard. It was very entertaining.
Check out my next update where I visit Saguaro National Park in Tuscon, Arizona.
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Check out all my other posts on the great state of Arizona!
