Tombstone
Also see nearby:
Bisbee, Kartchner Caverns/Benson
Downtown Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone - The Town Too Tough to Die. The town
was founded in 1877 as a mining camp known as Goose Flats. When a
prospector filed his claim at the county office, the clerks joked that
the only thing he was going to find was his tombstone... so when he did
strike it rich, the lucky miner named the town Tombstone. It was a
thriving town, until the mines flooded and everyone cleared-out. Wyatt
Earp and Doc Holliday used to walk these streets, but now, Tombstone is
a tourist town.
John (Doc) Holliday was a dentist, but because of a terrible cough from a terrible
case of tuberculosis, he was unable to practice, so turned to gambling for
income. Big Nosed Kate was the steady girlfriend of Doc Holliday. Kate opened the first brothel in Tombstone, called a "sporting
house" in a tent. Later she opened her famous saloon in the Grand Hotel. The
hotel was the largest building on Allen Street and was considered the most
elegant hotel in the area. But Doc Holliday became famous with his friends
the Earp brothers during the famous "Gunfight at the OK Corral".
In 1881 the Earp family and Holliday battled to the death with the Clanton
boys. All of the Clanton boys are buried at Boothill Cemetery.
Wyatt Earp said of Doc Holliday: "He was the most skillful gambler, and the
nerviest, fastest, deadliest man with a six-gun I ever saw."
Certainly the qualities I most admire in a dentist.
Bring the kids/grandkids! There is plenty to see and do in
lively Tombstone. Reenactments of the OK Corral shoot-em-up are regularly
scheduled and you can take a ride in a buggy, tour through the saloons and
brothels. A tour through the Bird Cage Theater is very interesting. Don't miss a
visit to Boothill Cemetery. Reading the headstones is oddly hilarious and they
also have a well-restored historic Jewish section at the cemetery.
Boothill Cemetery: Gold Dollar was a famous Bird Cage girl - she charged
a gold dollar
RV Parks:
The Tombstone RV Park
1475 N. Highway 80
Tombstone, AZ 85638
(just north of Boothill Cemetery)
For Reservations: (800) 348-3829
Phone/FAX/Info: (520) 457-3829
Dumpy, but friendly and very convenient for a visit to Tombstone. The campsites
are marked with numbered tombstones: "Here Lies 4". Very funny. The park just
has new owners and they were already making improvements. All the usual
hook-ups, bad cell service, pool in-season, quiet. Many live-ins. Wifi, 30/50
amp, pull-through sites, laundry.
Links:
City of Tombstone
Boothill Cemetery
Bird Cage Theater
TO SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS & LEARN MORE:
Read our postcard from Tombstone