Driving on, I reach Tombstone Arizona. Immediately this town puts me under it’s magic spell. The entire town, “too tough to die”, has gone with a wild western theme. Stepping into middle of the wide dirt street’s enough to flash back to 1880’s, Tombstone’s boom time. Famous for one event in 1881, the shootout at OK Corral. It lasted about 28 seconds and the legend still draws crowds. Some original buildings still exist but 80% of town was burned to ground in two fires of 1882. Has anyone speculated Clanton gang may have had something to do with fire? After all, the Earps and Doc Holiday gunned down 3 Clanton gang members near OK Corral in October of 1881. Doesn’t seem too far fetched that the fire was arson. Legend is fire was caused by a cigar lighting a whiskey barrel. What if fire was deliberately lit as the cowboys revenge? Just saying.
Magic of Tombstone presents good as victorious over evil. Law over anarchy.
Like everything else, it’s more complicated than that. Lawmen virtuous over criminal cowboys and indians? OMG. Wyatt Earp,Earp brothers, and Doc Holiday were good guys? Yikes.. Indians fighting to defend homeland are bad guys?
I visit many shops and boutiques along Allen Street, all catering to the tourist. I walk every street in Tombstone absorbing sights and sounds. The entire town is a stage like in a theatre.
Wood planked sidewalks. Raw wood, adobe, and stone buildings. Cowboys, rustlers, and lawmen dressed actors and horses pulling coaches (some empty and some with tourist payloads) back and forth and clouds of dust kicking up. Spell is cast.
I attend OK Corral reinactment and am entertained and enthralled. Actors are smooth and well rehearsed. Doc Holiday character is ‘host’ as he stays in character even when addressing audience. From there I find a bar near the mining side of town. A guy from New Jersey dressed as a cowboy pours me a beer. He’s here to help his father out for the season but he’s not into the “western thing”. I continue south down Allen Street to the Bird Cage Opera Theatre. It is one of a few original buildings, very much in tact.
One can walk through the museum and get a feel of its bawdiness. Bullet holes riddle the ceiling. Gambling tables where Faro was played, many artifacts, original light fixtures, kerosene lamps, chairs, wall paper, pianos, curtains and much more. Three of the madames rooms are completely intact. There is a framed and signed business license, allowing Bird Cage to operate as a whore house ($7.50 a year).The gift shop was added on the back of building and is a lot of fun to peruse. The nice woman running gift shop swears the Bird Cage is haunted.
I check out The Crystal Palace and am wowed by the bar. I call about a few properties for sale. A 3,000sf building just south of Bird Cage, with some land for 500k. Another property for sale is a bar and B&B for 400k. Neither in good shape. They need work. I’m sure these folks would take a lower offer if I wanted to operate out of a republican dominated town. How long could I stand the whining from “I hate O’Bama” republicans?
They are everywhere in Tombstone as several residents point out. They seem nice enough but as I get talking they advise me to don’t mention my political affiliation unless it happens to be republican. Of the two towns I’d say Bisbee would be a better place to live, though I'm a sucker for a tourist trap!
Magic of Tombstone presents good as victorious over evil. Law over anarchy.
Like everything else, it’s more complicated than that. Lawmen virtuous over criminal cowboys and indians? OMG. Wyatt Earp,Earp brothers, and Doc Holiday were good guys? Yikes.. Indians fighting to defend homeland are bad guys?
I visit many shops and boutiques along Allen Street, all catering to the tourist. I walk every street in Tombstone absorbing sights and sounds. The entire town is a stage like in a theatre.
Wood planked sidewalks. Raw wood, adobe, and stone buildings. Cowboys, rustlers, and lawmen dressed actors and horses pulling coaches (some empty and some with tourist payloads) back and forth and clouds of dust kicking up. Spell is cast.
I attend OK Corral reinactment and am entertained and enthralled. Actors are smooth and well rehearsed. Doc Holiday character is ‘host’ as he stays in character even when addressing audience. From there I find a bar near the mining side of town. A guy from New Jersey dressed as a cowboy pours me a beer. He’s here to help his father out for the season but he’s not into the “western thing”. I continue south down Allen Street to the Bird Cage Opera Theatre. It is one of a few original buildings, very much in tact.
One can walk through the museum and get a feel of its bawdiness. Bullet holes riddle the ceiling. Gambling tables where Faro was played, many artifacts, original light fixtures, kerosene lamps, chairs, wall paper, pianos, curtains and much more. Three of the madames rooms are completely intact. There is a framed and signed business license, allowing Bird Cage to operate as a whore house ($7.50 a year).The gift shop was added on the back of building and is a lot of fun to peruse. The nice woman running gift shop swears the Bird Cage is haunted.
I check out The Crystal Palace and am wowed by the bar. I call about a few properties for sale. A 3,000sf building just south of Bird Cage, with some land for 500k. Another property for sale is a bar and B&B for 400k. Neither in good shape. They need work. I’m sure these folks would take a lower offer if I wanted to operate out of a republican dominated town. How long could I stand the whining from “I hate O’Bama” republicans?
They are everywhere in Tombstone as several residents point out. They seem nice enough but as I get talking they advise me to don’t mention my political affiliation unless it happens to be republican. Of the two towns I’d say Bisbee would be a better place to live, though I'm a sucker for a tourist trap!
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