Visiting Historic Tombstone, Arizona

Tombstone, Arizona is a great place to visit for as short a stay as just a few hours or several days. If you want to stay overnight there are close accommodations at Tombstone, Benson, Bisbee, and Tucson.

Because of Tombstone's location, sunny southern Arizona, the weather is usually good, which allows tourists to come year round.

The key to enjoying Tombstone is knowing a little about its amazing history.

Tombstone's claim to fame is its authentic Wild West past. If the real Tombstone and its history hadn't really happened, Hollywood would have had to make it up.

Tombstone was founded by a silver prospector, Ed Schieffelin, who bravely tracked into the area in search of silver in the 1870s. He found it and a mining camp was started in the middle of what was dangerous Apache country, the land of Cochise of the Chiricahua Apache. Skeptics of Ed's bravery told him that all he would find in that area was a tombstone. Ed survived and helped create the town that would be a horror for many a man and woman murdered within the small confines of the town throughout its history.

Gunfight at OK Corral

On October 26, 1881 three of the Earp brothers (Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt) made a famous walk down Allen Street, 4^th Street, and Fremont Street with their friend Doc Holliday and met the Clanton brothers, McLaury brothers, and Billy Claiborne as they were ready to exit the OK Corral onto Fremont Street. A gunfight ensued that has never been forgotten and debated endlessly as to cause. The two McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton were killed that day, Virgil and Morgan Earp wounded, and Doc Holliday wounded. Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne survived due to the fact that they were unarmed and begged out of the fight. Later their lives would end in violently. Wyatt walked out of the gunfight unscathed.

The Earps were town heroes for a brief time but a trial ensued as to the cause and if the Earps and Doc were responsible for the deaths. Though they were vindicated of any charges, their reputations had been sullied. Many people in the town thought that there was no reason for the fight and that the Earps had needlessly caused it.

For a pictorial to retrace the steps of the Earps and Doc to their historical gunfight, click here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/3567/tombstone_arizona.html

Revenge on Virgil and Morgan ensued weeks later from Cowboy sympathizers of the McLaurys and Clantons. Virgil was severely wounded from a gunshot at 5^th and Allen and Morgan was killed by assailants in a billiard hall on Allen Street. Wyatt and Doc led a group of their own revenge seekers, which brought more bloodshed to the area. Wyatt left Arizona for Gunnison, Colorado and Doc Holliday left for Denver.

Though an attempt to extradite Holliday to Tucson to answer for the revenge ride, his friend Bat Masterson and the governor of Colorado intervened and would not allow the extradition. Holliday would later die of tuberculosis in Glenwood Springs, Colorado in 1888. Wyatt lived the longest of them all, passing away in Los Angeles of prostrate cancer at age 80 in 1929.

History of Tombstone

http://www.tombstoneweb.com/history.html

Accommodations in Tombstone, Benson, and Bisbee:

http://www.tombstoneweb.com/lodging.html

Recommended close motels: Holliday Inn Express and Best Western.

Museums and Tours:

http://www.tombstoneweb.com/attractions.html

How to Get There:

From Benson (I 10 and Hiway 80) travel south on Hiway 80. From Bisbee travel north on Hiway 80.