Tombstone
Tombstone, Arizona
If you love all things “Old West” then you’ll want to visit the place where the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place. Arizona was not yet a state and Tombstone was little more than a silver mining camp when the trouble began. The name comes from a prediction that the first man to find silver would find a tombstone instead. The miner named his find “Tombstone” and the name stuck. With rumors of a rich strikes, the town quickly boomed and soon became lawless, which led to martial law (military rule).
Deputy Marshal Virgil Earp arrested two men for a stagecoach robbery and threats from another man, together with friends and family, brought about the deadly gunfight.
At three in the afternoon on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, the gunfight took place killing three and wounding two. It actually occurred in a small twenty-foot alleyway and progressed out on to Fremont Street in front of the alleyway. Yet the fight did not end there. Assassination attempts on the Earps led to more killings. The Earps and Doc Holliday were eventually forced to flee.
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral has been the basis of several movies.
Over a period of seven years the miners discovered millions of dollars worth of gold and silver, and visitors can take a tour of one of the old mines. Later mineral discoveries included manganese and lead. But when mining subsided, Tombstone concentrated on tourism.
Today there is much to see including the luxurious Crystal Palace Saloon, the old Tombstone newspaper building and numerous museums. As do many towns in the old west, Tombstone has its own Boot Hill Graveyard. While you are there, see staged Gunfights and barroom brawls, visit a dance hall, a brothel and a gambling house. In the theater, bullet holes can be seen in the walls. Of course there is a reenactment of the most famous gunfight. If that is not enough, visit an 1880s home and see the town gallows.
Tombstone offers plenty of restaurants and places to stay. It is in the southern part of Arizona and near the Coronado national park.
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By Marti Talbott
Author of Marti Talbott’s Stories
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