Tuesday January 23rd 2018

Despite forecasts to the contrary it was even colder last night than the previous night. It was thirty three inside the RV when I woke around 5AM. Once I turned on the heat it was fine until the sun took over the heating. Today’s high temperature was about eight to ten degrees warmer than yesterday.

Woman walking a dog down the middle of the blocked off sections of Allen Street in Tombstone AZ.  The O.K. Corral is at the far end of the blocked off section of street. 

Old hotel.

Today was a tourist day more me in Tombstone AZ. The historic mining town is located about twenty five miles south of Benson. I arrived in town shortly before noon and found a parking place after wandering around a bit. Following the signs for parking only lead me to resident restricted spots. It was only moderately busy. I’d hate to find a place to park on a busy day.

The Earps in front of the O.K. Corral attraction hyping the gunfight show.

Sign on the front of a building that seems appropriate regardless of the century.

Stage coach tour. I don’t think these horses would have been used for a real stage coach.

Like many other towns in the west that were established as mining towns, Tombstone survives today as a tourist attraction. It has the added advantage that the 1880s newspapers and later Hollywood movies sensationalized a gunfight that lasted no more than a minute or two near the OK Corral. A three block area of Allen Street has been closed to traffic and left to appear like it did in the late 1800s. Stores, restaurants and tourist attractions line both sides of the street.

Today I focused on the shops on the main street and the gunfight show at the OK Corral. There are other tourist draws in town. A tour of an old Silver Mine, a mockup of Old Tombstone used as a movie set and the old territorial court house are other attractions looking for your money. I’ll leave those for another visit either this week or on future visit to the area.

One of the old wagons on display at the O.K. Corral.   

Gunfight stage area of the O.K. Corral.

The Earps and Doc Holliday confronting the cowboys.

The OK Corral show includes a diorama and movie narrated by Vincent Price that tells the story of Tombstone including the gun fight. It starts with the discovery of silver and ends with the ground water flooding that closed the mines early in the twentieth century. Surprisingly the presentation on the gunfight was balanced. The Clantons and their fellow cowboys were described as mostly outlaws and probably stage coach robbers. The Earps and Doc Holliday were deputized officers of the law, but may have been more instigators than peace officers. It wasn’t described and depicted as purely good vs. evil. The actual gunfight re-enactment was anticlimactic. It’s what got you their, but everything else was more interesting.

I spent about three hours in Tombstone before returning home to Benson. I enjoyed the tour of the town. I didn’t buy anything other than informative entertainment. The shops selling western tourist merchandise and general souvenirs were only interesting for a walk through or two. There are plenty of other options for future visits.