Tombstone

Tuesday, November 12
I drove into Sierra Vista this morning to treat the truck to a well deserved oil change. I grabbed some breakfast and did some shopping at Harbor Freight. I thought that would be all I would get accomplished today but the truck was ready mid-morning. Price wasn't bad either. Diesel oil change for $80 at the Chevrolet dealer.

The day was pleasant and not nearly as windy as the forecast stated so after stopping back at the campground we headed east toward the town of Tombstone. You may recall Tombstone as the location of the gunfight at the OK Corral. A lot of the original portion of the town is dedicated to an old west theme. Bars, restaurants, gift shops and of course the historical buildings bring a very touristy flavor to the town. Still, it was fun to see.

The road to Tombstone.

Not much water in the San Pedro River.

Silver was found in the hills surrounding Tombstone. The place was booming in the mid-1880's but as with most mines it played out after water infiltrated the mine shafts.

One of the few remaining original buildings. It was a theater, bar, hotel and bordello.

The bar is original, right down to the bullet holes in the walls, bar and pictures. There were seven murders inside this building.

The stagecoach tours of town.

Just one of many fatalities in Tombstone.

For $10 each we saw the re-enactment of the gunfight, with some artistic license of course. The actors were actually very good so even though the historical accuracy may have been lost it was still a good show. Included in the admission was a diorama and film about the history of the town, and a free newspaper from the local print shop.

These life-size animated models told the story of the gunfight. Three times daily real actors perform.

This guy played Doc Holliday.

The fight was between the lawmen and the cowboys. Which side was right or wrong is up for debate. There was plenty of blame to go around. The lawmen won the gunfight, killing three of the four cowboys.

The shootout. The real one lasted about thirty seconds and reportedly thirty shots were fired.

Of the eight participants in the gunfight three were killed. Three others died violently at later dates. Doc Holliday died of tuberculosis in 1887 and Wyatt Earp died of old age in 1929.

Cheryl took a liking to this cowboy.

Camilus S Fly had a photo studio in Tombstone. He took some incredible pictures of  the Apaches including this famous photo of Geronimo.

Gunfighters discussing the next show.

The Tombstone Epitaph, the local paper. It has been continuously publishing since 1880.

Old press equipment.

The original press used to print the local newspaper. (Maybe the original pressman too!)

Next stop was a couple of bars. These are pretty original from the late 1880's. We decided to sit and have a drink at 'Big Nose Kate's'. A fun place. we sat next to some folks, one of which was a horse wrangler that works on the stage that tours downtown Tombstone. Turns out he has appeared in a number of movies. Nice guy to talk with.

This was the Crystal Palace Saloon.

The stage for the dancin' girls.

A popular spot.

We decided to try this place.

Even Willie visited here.

Live entertainment. This fella was very good.

Well decorated bar.

In the basement was a mine shaft. Apparently one of the workers of the bar worked down here at nights looking for silver.

Unique urinals. I would recommend you do NOT order a Budweiser, Bud Light or Coors Light in this bar!

This handsome dude is Ron. He has appeared in many western movies filmed around here.

Turns out we were sitting beside him at the bar! Cheryl found another cowboy! (maybe it's the hat. I'll be shopping for one tomorrow!)

The historical significance of the bar.

We hope to get back to Tombstone  again soon. We really didn't see it all. And for some reason Cheryl wants to go back to that bar??!!

The sun was shining on the hills above Tombstone,

....and that was Our View From Here!