The infamous town of Tombstone, Arizona is about a 26 minute drive from where I live. It’s a small quaint town steeped in history that has made it an anachronism in the 21st century. Billing itself, “the town too tough to die,” it has cashed in on its legendary past and become a must-see tourist destination for those visiting the American Southwest.
Briefly, the town sprang to life when an Army Scout at Camp Huachuca, Ed Shieffelin, who prospected in his off time out in the desert near the San Pedro River, found some silver ore and traced its source to a large mesa called Goose Flats. His friends had been telling him that he’d find nothing out there but his tombstone, so as a jest he filed his claim as “tombstone” and thus begin the excavation of the Tough Nut mine around which spring the nearby town of Tombstone, Arizona.
Isolation, money, and politics contributed to the lawlessness that led to the famous confrontation between the Earp and Clanton clans at the OK Corral which ended badly for all involved except Wyatt Earp who, after tracking down and illegally killing those who had murdered his brothers, packed up and left Arizona.
Today, Tombstone caters to over 450,000 tourists every year. There are constant re-enactments with players in period dress roaming the streets. Some people call it a tourist trap, other’s revel in it’s history. Regardless, it’s a good base from which to explore the rest of this corner in Arizona which is steeped in Ole West history.
