Tombstone

Tombstone was a mining boom town starting in 1880s but the bonanza did not last long, oddly enough, because of too much water in Arizona of all places. The mines at a depth of 500 feet flooded with water and powerful pumps caught fire or failed. By 1909, much of the mining activity ceased, according to historian Marshall Trimble.

But Tombstone, dubbed the Town Too Tough to Die, still had its frontier-era infrastructure and lots of colorful stories to share with a world increasingly fascinated by the old West. 

Ed Schieffelin, the prospector who set off the town's mining boom in 1877, had been warned against his search for silver and gold in the southeastern Arizona Territory. Skeptics said he would only find his tombstone at the hands of marauding Indians. Instead, he hit it rich and the town was named Tombstone.

Of course, Tombstone is most famous for its Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on Oct. 26, 1881 near Fremont and Third streets. The shootout involved Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday vs. Ike Clanton, his gang and Sheriff Johnny Behan. 

Today, 140 years later, we're still making movies and writing about the notorious but brief gun battle. And Tombstone is still re-enacting shootouts.

In fact, one of those staged events turned out horribly wrong. In October 2015, it seems a a mock gunfighter seriously wounded a fellow re-enactor by mistakenly using real bullets instead of blanks. 

Tombstone is worth a day trip, an overnight visit or combined with a trip to Bisbee or other Cochise County destinations. 

Tombstone has its century-old buildings and town codes attempt to protect the historical integrity of the structures. It tries to balance its historic character with the commercial aspects of shops catering to tourists in 21st century Arizona. 

Megan the bartender at Crystal Palace.

The Tombstone Courthouse and a nearby Victorian home are exceptions that have maintained their architectural integrity.

Built in 1882, the two-story building served as the Cochise County Courthouse until 1929 when Bisbee became the county seat. The courthouse, with its replica gallows and a corkscrew fire escape, became Arizona's first state park in 1959. 
 
Other well preserved historic buildings include the 1880 Crystal Palace. It features  a beautiful back bar and historic roulette and faro wheels.  

Tombstone's mining boom lasted for less than three decades but that vibrant era was enough to fuel a tourism trade that's been going for nearly a century.  


Founded: 1879
Elevation: 4,540
Population: 1,300

Tombstone's historic newspaper office and a cowboy singer on Allen Street.

A gunfight re-enactor touts an afternoon shootout as stage coaches ferry passengers on Allen Street.

Tombstone's courthouse, completed in 1883, was the site of two hangings.

Tourists flock to the site of the West's most famous gunfight.

Crystal Palace offers drinking and dining, but in the past featured gambling and entertainment in the 1882 saloon.

Bird Cage Theatre (left) offered nonstop poker games starting in the 1880s. Big Nose Kate's Saloon was previously the Grand Hotel.

Tombstone's City Hall, which has been restored, is the headquarters for the Marshal's Office on Fremont Street.