Monday February 26: As soon as I get up this morning, I start heating water to make thermoses of tea and coffee. We are going to Tombstone for the day. We take a back road this time; it should be shorter than the route we have taken past years, and perhaps a more authentic journey to Tombstone.
Back road journey to Tombstone
Tombstone, a silver mining town founded in 1879 by prospector Ed Schieffelin, has quite a famous/infamous history in the old Southwest, including the O.K. Corral shootout between the Earp brothers and a gang of outlaws known as the Cowboys. The gunfight didn’t actually happen at this spot, but the name remains attached to the event.
O.K. Corral – infamous for a gunfight that did not happen here, but in an empty lot on Freemont Street
Too much to go into in this blog, but here is a link for those who are curious to learn more.
We spend some time touring the Bird Cage Theatre, one of the few original buildings, as fires in 1881 and 1882 destroyed much of the town. Since rebuilding commenced after each fire, the current buildings in old Tombstone date back 100 years or more.
Bird Cage Theatre
The Birdcage Theater was also a saloon, gambling parlor, and brothel. The history in this building alone takes hours to investigate.
Gambling and private bar were located in the lower rooms
Famous hearse with gold-plated trim, now housed in museum area of Bird Cage TheatreSign above hearse – much more affordable to be buried back thenOpen casket at the top of the stairs from the lower roomsRumor has it that outlaws were displayed in an open front casket for public viewingBird Cage Theatre StageThe patron in the theatre box upper left could look down on the stage
We also go on a stagecoach ride with a narrated history of the town.
Our stagecoachColorful renovations of Old Tombstone
As we pass by the railroad station, I take a photo and only later noticed the “body” hanging from the cross beam at the right edge of the frame.
Railroad Station; also the site of a hanging
After the stagecoach, we head over to the Longhorn Restaurant for a tasty lunch.
My favorite spot to browse is Ladies in Lace in the historic Oriental Saloon Building. I’m not able to find the skirt I was hoping to purchase here, but its still fun to browse the colorful clothing in this shop.
The courthouse, now a museum, is also of significant historical interest, but we didn’t have time to browse there – maybe next time.
Tombstone Courthouse
Although there is much more that could be seen, we are old fuddy-duddies and need to get ourselves back to camp before it gets too late.
Almost back to camp by sunset
One thought on “Tombstone – Winter Journey – February 2018”
Oh, this place looks very interesting. It looks like the city is one big museum.
Oh, this place looks very interesting. It looks like the city is one big museum.