Tombstone, AZ

Tombstone, a.k.a. “the town too tough to die.”

Beginning as a mining town in 1877 after the discovery of a silver vein in the nearby hills, Tombstone was once a booming epi-center for those looking to strike it rich. The mines brought in roughly $40-$85 million dollars in silver bullion in a few short years.

In the mid-1880’s, the miners penetrated the water table and the tunnels began to flood. To keep the operation going, they decided to build a pump house and pump the water out of the underground tunnels. The effort was short-lived as a fire soon destroyed the pump house. After which it was deemed unprofitable to rebuild the costly pumps. Whatever silver was remaining at the time was eventually abandoned.

The town was made famous through old west films which highlighted the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The now famous shootout occurred in 1881 between the feuding Earp brothers – Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan – and Doc Holiday and the cowboys Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton. The latter three lost their lives that day.

Today, the town re-enacts the conflict for the thousands of tourists who flock there every year.

They also offer a western themed comedy show centering around the silver boomtown era. 

Today, Tombstone mainly caters to tourists. They offer horse and carriage rides, old time photos, saloon-style dining, cowboy hats, leather gun holsters, souvenirs, and many other old west and Native American crafts. 

Basically, if you love the old west, you’ll love visiting Tombstone.