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| Visitors can take a stagecoach ride through Tombstone. |
I will preface this article by stating I am not a believer
in ghosts. Superstitious? Yes.
Ghosts? Not so much. So when I learned many of Tombstone, Arizona’s
attractions are haunted and that Tombstone is said to be one of Arizona’s most
haunted towns, I shrugged my shoulders and didn’t give it a second thought. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, Tombstone’s
attractions will appeal. Kids will love
the period costumed characters walking down the street and the stagecoach
rides. History buffs will love how much
history has touched Arizona’s tiny ghost town.
Ghost hunters and believers will love even more the possibility of
ghostly encounters. But we didn’t
encounter any ghosts. Or did we?
Our visit to Tombstone was for an afternoon on a daytrip
from Tucson. We had traveled to Arizona
with our dogs, so we were on the lookout for dog friendly attractions. Luckily, Tombstone is surprisingly dog
friendly. One of Tombstone’s attractions
that is not dog friendly, however, is the O.K.Corral.
But that’s okay, because even if you don’t make it into the O.K. Corral,
you can see the beginning of the show on the street, which is how our visit to
Tombstone began.
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| Reenactments of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral start in the streets of Tombstone, AZ. |
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral may be the most famous
gunfight in United States history, even though it only lasted 30 seconds. Virgil Earp, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holiday were
marshals of Tombstone. Billy Claiborne,
Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury, and Frank McLaury were cowboys. A feud between the two groups resulted in the
famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury, and Frank McLaury were killed.
When the gunfight is reenacted in Tombstone, the
confrontation starts in the streets.
Cowboys and lawmen stride down the street arguing before they move into
the O.K. Corral for the show.
Reenactments occur three times a day starting at noon. Some believe the dead cowboys still haunt the
streets today.
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| The music hall of The Bird Cage Theatre. The top "cages" were used by prostitutes to entertain clients. |
Down the street from the O.K. Corral is The Bird Cage Theatre,
one of Tombstone’s most authentic attractions and most haunted. It is believed 26 people were killed in The
Bird Cage Theatre during its eight-year run and there are over 120 bullet holes
in the building. The Bird Cage Theatre
was cited as “the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the
Barbary Coast” by the New York Times in 1882.
We were surprisingly able to tour The Bird Cage Theatre with
our dogs, as the theatre is dog friendly as long as the dogs are small enough
to be carried. Our visit started in the
upstairs music hall. The hall is packed
with photographs, news clippings, and artifacts from the time period.
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| Ghostly coffin and hearse backstage at The Bird Cage Theatre. |
After examining the music hall and stage we went downstairs
to where the real action happened. In
the basement was a bar and gambling hall with rooms along the side occupied by
ladies of the night and their short-term guests. The original furnishings and fixtures are
still present. The gambling hall was the
site of the longest continuous poker game recorded. The game started when The Bird Cage Theatre
opened on December 25, 1881, and continued for over eight years. Players would have to give notice before
vacating their seats and there were always players waiting to step in to take
their place.
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| The site of the longest continuous poker game ever recorded. |
So here’s the weird thing about our tour of The Bird Cage
Theatre. We brought our two dogs, Henry
and Charlie. Rome carried Charlie and I
carried Henry. During our entire time in
the theatre Henry wiggled and squirmed and every once in a while whined,
especially backstage, which is very unlike him.
When we finally exited through the gift shop, the lady working the shop
asked us if we’d had any ghost sightings, and also requested that we email them
if we found any pictures with orbs. Then she asked if the dogs had felt anything
or acted strangely. Her question caught
me off guard as I hadn’t even thought about ghosts as a reason for Henry’s
unusual behavior. Were there ghosts?
After The Bird Cage Theatre we visited The Rose Tree Museum, which as far as I know is not haunted. But it does have the world’s largest rose
tree and it is also dog friendly. The
Rose Tree Museum tells the story of the Macia family, members of which still
operate the museum. S.C. Robertson and Alice Macia moved to Tombstone in 1880
to start their married life and make their fortune in the silver mines.
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| Who knew a rose plant could grow to be so huge? |
The Rose Tree Museum displays the original furniture the
Macias brought to their new home from Colorado to Arizona along with an
assortment of small items collected through time. There’s even an invitation to
an execution. In the back is the plant
listed as the largest rose tree in The Guinness Book of Records. The rose tree was planted in 1885, prior to
the Macias purchasing the property. Mr.
Macia had the trellis built and now the blooms spread over 8,000 square feet.
On our way out of Tombstone we stopped at Boothill Graveyard, the final resting place of some of
Tombstone’s earliest pioneers. Many of
the residents of Boothill Graveyard succumbed to violent deaths. The most famous are Billy Clanton, Tom
McLaury, and Frank McLaury, the victims of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
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| Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, and Tom McLaury, killed in the O.K. Corral shootout, are laid to rest in the Boothill Graveyard. |
Many of the wooden grave markers have comic epitaphs
describing how the person met their usually untimely demise. You’ll also be given a pamphlet providing
more detail. George Johnson’s marker
reads, “Here lies George Johnson hanged
by mistake 1882. He was right we was
wrong but we strung him up and now he’s gone.” George Johnson unknowingly bought a stolen
horse and was hanged for a crime he didn’t commit. Lester Moore’s grave marker reads, “Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a 44. No Les no more.” Moore was a Wells Fargo agent. He had a dispute with a man over a
package. Both men died as a result of
the altercation.
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| Dutch Annie was a well-loved Tombstone Madam. Are those orbs prior customers paying her a visit? Henry's not sure. |
I love all cemeteries and Boothill Graveyard is especially
enjoyable with its quirky histories.
Boothill Graveyeard is also dog friendly if you can carry your dog (no
peeing on the graves please). Since I was
already weirded out by Henry’s reaction to The Bird Cage Theatre, imagine my
feelings when I began noticing orbs in half of our graveyard pictures. Ghosts?
Or was it just because we visited before sundown and the sun was shining
at an angle?
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Chink Smiley was shot and the two Chinese died of leprosy.
And I'm really just trying to prove I can take a picture without sun spots trying to act like paranormal orbs. |
Some other things to do in Tombstone include visiting the
Crystal Palace Saloon, Tombstone Courthouse, Tombstone Epitaph Museum, and
Tombstone Historama, and taking a stagecoach ride (also dog friendly).
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| What's happening?! That's the sun, not a ghost orb following us out, right? |
Whether or not you believe in ghosts you will enjoy
Tombstone’s attractions and history. But
if you do believe in ghosts, you’ll have a field day seeking out paranormal
experiences.
