Tombstone (and it's surrounding countryside) use to be one of
the wildest and deadliest places in the old west. Thankfully today the town is a
very safe tourist destination. The town is probably most famous for the gun
fight at the OK Corral but was initially founded in 1879 after silver and other
minerals were found in the surrounding hills. Along with the discovery of the
minerals came the boomtown and capitalist ventures out to make some money.
Our friend Tobin is from Arizona and was actually working not
far from Tombstone when we passed through. He was able to meet us there for the
day and show us around the old west town and give us the local information.
In late 1881 the Bird Cage Theatre opened and was described
as the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street (red light district of
New Orleans) and Barbary Coast (red light district of San Francisco). The
theatre still stands today and as you tour through it you can see just how rough
it must have been back then. There are several bullet holes throughout the
building.
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If you had a bit of money you could get a private booth, away from the lawlessness
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An old piano dating back to the late 1800's
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The original hurse used for many funerals in early Tombstone
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Tombstone was well known for its gambling dens
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The ladies of the night needed somewhere to work, so they catered for that as well
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OK Corral
The gunfight at the OK Corral took place in the afternoon
of 26 October 1881 when Wyatt, Morgan and Virgil Earp, with Doc Holliday
fought Frank and Tom McLaury, Billy Claiborne, Ike and Billy Clanton. The
gunfight actually didn't take place in the OK Corral but rather just around
the corner from it. It last only 30 seconds and about 30 shots were fired.
There have been many western movies based on this famous gunfight, with the
Earp's being portrayed as the good guys. From what we saw and read there in
the town, I don't think either side was the "good guy". It all seemed pretty
lawless to me.
They also put on a re-enactment of the gunfight actually
in the OK Corral. It gave a good indication of how quickly the hole thing
happened.
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Actual gunfight location
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Re-enactment site
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