Tombstone Arizona

On October 26, 1881 behind the OK Corral the gunfight began between cowboys Billy and Ike Clanton and Frank and Tom McLaury with lawmen Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers. When the gunfire was over, three of the four cowboys lay dead in the street. Daily reenactments of the bloody battle are performed at the same location in Tombstone Arizona, albeit in a more entertaining manner.

Tombstone is one of those rare touristy places that is actually quite entertaining overall. It’s a step back in time with its single dirt street lined with saloons and whatnot. Horse-drawn carriages regularly pass by carrying folks with aspirations to relive the old west (guns holstered of course).

Other notable attractions in Tombstone include:

Bird Cage Theatre; The Bird Cage was the most famous honky-tonk in America between 1881-1889. Walk in and see some of the original bullet holes in the wall and learn some history about the establishment from one of the very informative workers. Or, opt for one of the paid ghost tours and get the behind the scenes stories first hand.

Big Nose Kate’s: Check out the authentic 1880’s saloon, formally the Grand Hotel, for a bite to eat or belly up to bar for a whisky. Either way, you will sure to be entertained.

Tombstone Courthouse: The courthouse built in 1882 is now a state historic park. For a small entrance fee you can check out the entire building and learn more about the history of the area.

Boothill Graveyard: An amazing amount of Tombstone history lies under the ground of this cemetery. Buried here are some of the towns first pioneers, outlaws and victims of the old mining town from the 1880’s. Each gravesite tells its own individual story.

Twenty-three miles to the south is the historic mining town of Bisbee. Bisbee is a super cool well-known artist’s community whose architectural and historic heritage has been well preserved. The best way to explore Bisbee is on foot. The many art galleries and restaurants can keep you busy for days. The town is built on a hillside and connected by nine individual staircases adorned by unique murals on the stairwell walls. Each year the town hosts the 4.5-mile Bisbee 1000 Great Stair Climb Race, which includes all 1,052 stairs as part of the course.

Be sure to check out Erie Street in Lowell, adjacent to Bisbee. Erie Street is like walking into a 1950s post-apocalyptic landscape. From all that is immediately apparent, it could have been abandoned in a hurry and forgotten for half a century. Rusting cars, trucks, and an old Greyhound bus sit deserted along the street as if their passengers had suddenly vanished (or worse). 

As we learned after we left Tombstone, there is a lot of great hiking and off-roading in the area. We’ll return again someday and update this blog with more adventures. For now, enjoy our pictures of the Tombstone area.