After the debacle that was Dodge City, KS, we approached Tombstone, AZ with much hesitation. After visiting the border city of Nogales, AZ, we were equipped with our capsuled gold ($25 for 225 pills!) A word on the city of Nogales. During the time of our visit, swine flu and border killings were at an all time high. The border of the United States was separated by a turnstile as secure as a kindergarten playset. The return to the U.S. was decidely different. We had to go through a checkpoint and get asked questions by a border patrol agent, but we found Nogales as non-threatening as our own town. The people of Nogales, Mexico were kind and welcoming. Forget the drug cartel, the majority of these people are hard-working individuals trying to feed their families....and for those antibiotics we could buy over the counter, we were happy to oblige. That being said, revisit the Chamizal National Memorial entry. Juarez is a totally different animal....but Nogales is but a speck from the U.S. side. When we make our return visit to Nogales (we shamefully drove right past the entrance of the Tumacacori National Historic Park), we will absolutely cross the border again, equipped with passports for our antibiotic fix.
After drugging up, we took what we suspected would be a very tough drive on Highway 82 through the Coronado National Forest. We were proven wrong in the best way. The 70-mile drive was pleasant, offering beautiful desert scenery, passing the attractive towns of Patagonia and Sonorita, along with bypassing the byway to Sierra Vista. This type of scenery strikes other people as drab and uninviting, but we are definitely in our element in this type of atmosphere. We are city-lovers to be sure (and the sounds of car horns and people swearing mean we are at home), but we have a deep affinity for the Southwest of the United States and return as often as we can.
We were stopped by a Border Patrol checkpoint in the middle of nowhere yet again, which is a necessary (and I'll admit it....totally interesting) stop near the oft-crossed border. We then saw across the harsh desert the small town of Tombstone glistening in the distance.
Tombstone exists only to this day as a gateway to the past. One can envision the likes of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and other scalliwags traversing the open desert to get to this heathen town in the middle of Arizona. Heathens? Whorehouses? Public gunfights? We are IN.
Tombstone was associated with mining in the 1870-1880's, and established itself as a headquarters for mining trade. It was also - for all intents and purposes - completely lacking in laws, and in total chaos from its birth to its Wild West death. President Chester "Muttonchops" Arthur heard of the lawlessness and declared Martial Law on the small town in 1881, sending federal troops to establish order, which essentially failed in every capacity. Much like Juarez today, people were dying left and right on the streets on a daily basis. This violence climaxed in the famous "battle" of the O.K. Corral in 1881 between the Earp and Clanton Brothers (more on that later).
Where Tombstone succeeds, Dodge City fails on every level. Tombstone embraces its gunslinging past, and off Allen Street (seen above), the asphalt ends, and dirt roads begin. Stagecoaches drive up and down the street throughout the day, and while visitors are in the stores along Allen Street, you can hear the
ClipClopClipClop of the horse hooves driving by, which is, in the most eloquent words I can find.....purty damn cool.
We stopped and took an Old Time Picture as Indians (Political correctness??? What?? Can't hear you), and walked along the street eating ice cream with a smile on our faces.
All buildings are protected and as original as the elements have allowed throughout the years. The Bird Cage theatre above is 100% original and a peek inside takes you back in time......
However.
In order to see anything in Tombstone, there is an entrance fee for every single building and every single show along Allen Street. After calculating fees, we deduced that two visitors would need to spend approximately $90-110 just to step inside these locations. Tombstone ain't dumb, folks......this is a town of 1,500 hearty souls whose entire yearly budget revolves around people opening their wallets and partaking of every kitschy exhibit possible. We arrived later in the day, and the businesses were unfortunately closing, along with the shows that appeared in every other window. "COME SEE THE GHOSTS OF TOMBSTONE SPEAK!" and "WYATT EARP - ALIVE??" to "ENTER BIG NOSE MADDIE'S BROTHEL!". The latter we were a bit disappointed to have missed, but the coup-de-grace was definitely saved for the top of Allen Street, the infamous location of the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral".
As the website
http://www.ok-corral.com/ states "See where the most famous gun battle in the West occurred".....
Or not.
This, dear reader, is a master class in fibbing. The owners of this building have built a mini-goldmine selling re-enacted gunfights on the actual site of the gun battle.
Except for the fact that it actually occurred outside the property, on the back side of the street, and nowhere near the building housing the proclaimed site. A vacant lot near the local photographer's office was the site of the 30 second gunfight. The story leading to the gunfight is actually quite fascinating, and the lead-up belies the payoff of the gunfight itself. We highly recommend the Kirk Douglas 1957 aptly titled film, Gunfight at the OK Corral. The film, although Hollywood-stylized, provides the details necessary to understand the leadup to the battle itself.
If you get a wild hair and want to try to look over the fence into the grounds...think again. This wall was half the size of the Great Wall of China (the picture is misleading). Not a crack in the gate to be found. Tombstone says, "No Money, No Peeky".
By the way - if we would have been there at 2pm, we totally would have paid double the price to see the reenacted gunfight.....We embrace our gullible natures.
Heading out of the small town, a visit to Boot Hill is absolutely necessary. Although cheese abounds (music piped in along the walk), the fifty-cent guide to the graves in the cemetery is totally worth the price. The methods of death in this book are astounding. Death by well-dunking, horse-falling, prostitution-murdering, alcohol-poisoning, strangulation by horse whip, etc., are just a few of the tales.
The McClary/Clanton graves above are the most visited, as the three victims of the OK Corral are the main attraction. Brooke personally loved Boot Hill at Tombstone. The walk through the cemetery was peaceful and informative every step of the way. Matt, on the other hand, felt the kitsch was too much here (BLASPHEMY) and was disappointed.
All in all, Tombstone, without question, is worth the barren drive to get here. Dodge City could take a few lessons from this small town in Southern Arizona. They know exactly why people make the trek here, and it would be surprising if any lover of all things Wild West would walk away disappointed.......as long as you keep your wallet open.
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