The Town Too Tough to Die!

Here are some snapshots of last weekend's trip to Tombstone, AT. Tombstone has historically been called "the town that is too tough to die" because it has survived for so long despite disastrous fires and having its mining industry completely wiped out by flooding. It is now a thriving tourism town.

As can be seen in the first picture, tours of the town via stagecoach are readily available. The horses are magnificent animals and there isn't a lot of crap in the street, very clean little town.

Nicole and I had lunch at Big Nose Kate's Saloon. Big Nose Kate was Doc Holliday's lady friend, played by Isabella Rossellini in the film "Wyatt Earp" and by Joanna Pacula in "Tombstone", The film "Tombstone" is the preferred movie version of the town's history, the locals are mad for it; "Tombstone" paraphernalia is as plentiful in town as gold and silver was in King Solomon's Israel. I haven't seen a single reference to John Ford's "My Darling Clementine" in Tombstone, possibly because it was filmed mostly in Utah. Anyway, we had a filling lunch at Big Nose Kate's and enjoyed the live performances of the thankless musicians (maybe townfolk were too rough-hewn to applaud in the old west?).

Back in the day The Tombstone Epitaph was the town's newspaper. It was run by John Clum who was a good pal of Wyatt Earp. Nowadays the Tombstone Epitaph is run by the University of Arizona Department of Journalism. Tourist folk can go inside and look around at the old time machine exhibits. Under the title of the newspaper you can read the remark "No Tombstone Is Complete Without Its Epitaph".

The highlight of Tombstone (for me) is "Tombstone's Historama", narrated by Vincent Price of all people (not that I'm complaining). The Historama is a little theater that features a performance by a rotating diorama of the town of Tombstone and a video screen that periodically drops down. Vincent Price tells us the history of Tombstone as we watch film reenactments (resembling Disney movies of the early sixties) or while spotlights take turns illumining various miniature scenes on the diorama. The cost of admission is somewhere between $5 and $8, but if you're like me you'll think that this is a small price to pay for such entertainment (especially if someone else is kindly treating you).

Our last stop in Tombstone was at the City Park. On our previous visit to Tombstone, I asked Nicole to wait for me at a picnic table while I took care of some business in the public restroom. I emerged only moments later and saw a vagrant man asking Nicole if she would like to give him a "personality test". I approached jovially and the vagrant man was bizarrely apologetic, expressing to me with guilt that he hadn't meant to bother my lady. I smiled and said to him "Oh, I'm sure she didn't mind." I gave him a kindly nod and lead Nicole away. Within hearing distance of the vagrant man I snarled at Nicole, "I thought I told you not to talk to anybody!!" I couldn't find the vagrant man on this visit but I asked N. to pose as if she was being asked to give a personality test to a stranger; I think she looks a little too comfortable.

On my next visit to Tombstone I want to see The O.K. Corral, Boot Hill Graveyard, and the Bird Cage Theatre.