7/12/2014

Main street in Tombstone, Arizona with wooden boardwalks and Old West storefronts — *Historic Allen St., Tombstone, Arizona*

History, Gunfights, & Ghosts of the Wild West

The road into Tombstone tells you what kind of place you’re entering before the town ever comes into view.

Once a booming silver town in the late 1800s, the desert around it is now quiet and wide, unbothered.

I slowed down instinctively.
No rushing, taking it all in as I drifted closer.

A sign for the OK Corral live gunfight rises out of the desert first, feeling like a warning and an invitation. Then comes the Entering Tombstone sign, plain and green like any other town’s entrance sign. This is the kind of place that doesn’t need to overly dress itself up because history already did the work.

I didn’t feel like I was visiting.
I felt like I was crossing into something already known.

I started feeling wild with adventure as I entered this little town that learned early on how to survive by remembering.

Big Kate’s Saloon & the Underground

I started my Tombstone journey at Big Nose Kate's Saloon (originally the Grand Hotel) where I had a “Big Ass Beer” or two. Live music filled the room while I wrote on my postcards. There’s something right about sending off mail that was written from a saloon that’s been there for over a century.

Before leaving the saloon, I went down the spiral staircase (easy to miss if you’re not paying attention) to a small gift shop tucked into the basement. From there, the basement also leads to the entrance of the old mine, where the legendary Swamper’s Room can still be seen, once used for secrecy, escape, and survival. I didn’t join in this time around, but ghost tours are offered, shedding more light on the old, ghostly miner known as Swamper… who supposedly still haunts the place.

The Swamper’s Room inside Big Nose Kate’s Saloon in Tombstone, Arizona — *The legendary Swamper’s Room*

The Bird Cage Theater

Inside the Bird Cage Theatre, the walls still wear their bullet holes. You can feel the chaos that once lived here… music, gunfire, and smoke.

I love that the bullet holes remain unrepaired… As a long time fan of the Wild West and outlaws, I became a crazed person when getting to touch them. For a moment I could hear the music, gunfire, laughter, and desperation of the place.

Gun Smoke & Ghosts of the Street

The OK Corral reenactment pulled a crowd… boots galore, mirroring how the real Wild West unfolded here in 1881. There was no drawn-out beginning, the outlaws just got right down to it… dust and suspense playing out on the very ground where it happened.

Walking the Town, Reading the Walls

Walking the streets afterward, I passed plaques marking where outlaws were killed, skulls displayed in shop windows, and plenty of old west memorabilia placed here and there.

I then stepped into Doc Holliday's Emporium where shelves are packed with outlaw souvenirs, Western wear, and keepsakes. You’ll find hats, belts, buckles, prints, and curios of Tombstone’s gunfighter mythology. It feels dusty with a little theatrical sprinkled in and I lapped it up. You can even buy a Doc Holliday’s outfit. Of course I sent a photo to a friend whom I knew could totally pull it off.

Historical plaques marking the locations where gunfights happened and outlaws were killed

Around the town you’ll see living reminders that Tombstone survives by being remembered. Seeing Old West-dressed performers walking the streets of Tombstone adds to the authentic Wild West atmosphere the town is known for.

Visitor standing with actors portraying Old West figures at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona

And of course I frolicked and took photos with Tombstone’s outlaws - they’re keeping these old stories alive!

Where the Dead Still Speak

My last stop was Boothill Graveyard, where the desert earth still carries the stories of outlaws, gamblers, and lawmen. It doesn’t romanticize anything. It’s just there reminding you that survival in the Wild West was conditional. Etched into stone, some of the inscriptions are humorous and some are brutal. Names, dates, causes of death carved into stone. It’s quiet up there but that piece of desert earth is still wild… it reminds you that the Wild West wasn’t myth, it was lived… and often paid for with your life.

Person exploring Boot Hill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona

Visitor standing among gravestones at Boot Hill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona

*The “Here lies Lester Moore…” tombstone that’s shown in the best Tombstone movie (1993)*

Dust on My Boots

Before I left, I walked the town one last time. I took photos of Tombstone itself, and of me traipsing in it. Tombstone doesn’t try to convince you of anything; it simply remains in the desert, unchanged except for a few modern touches. I left with dust on my boots, the kind of thing that feels like home. Tombstone is still gritty. It doesn’t ask anyone’s permission to be what it is. I relate to that deeply because neither do I.

View of the historic town of Tombstone, Arizona — *View of 5th and Allen St.*

Tombstone Checklist

✦ Walk Allen Street from end to end
✦ Watch a gunfight reenactment
✦ Visit the O.K. Corral area
✦ Step inside at least one historic museum
✦ Wander Boothill Cemetery
✦ Stop into a saloon (even just for water)
✦ Browse local shops for Old West curios
✦ Take photos of the boardwalks and storefronts
✦ Sit, rest, & Old West styled people walk around

Nearby Places

✦ Bisbee (arts, mining history, cool mountain air)
✦ Cave tour at Kartchner Caverns State Park