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Gordon Renfree
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Gordon Renfree
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Gordon Renfree
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Gordon Renfree
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Gordon Renfree
Story and Photos by Gordon Renfree
Howdy Pardner! If you're in the saddle of your RV, out riding the range in southeastern Arizona, giddy up over yonder to Tombstone. It's a great opportunity to take a peek back at the Old American West. Huge numbers of visitors come from near and far to visit Tombstone with close to a half a million visitors each year.
Tombstone is a treasure trove for those wanting to get a real taste of the Wild West culture. A great place to start and whet your appetite is a ride on the stagecoach. Experience a surge of the old west come over you, as you take the ride up and down the dusty streets of the old historical town. The stagecoach ride provides you an informative overall view of the town and highlights places you may want to go later for a comprehensive visit.
A special adventure is to take a stroll along the boardwalk. It gives you the opportunity to visit period stores with employees dressed up in period clothes. Perhaps you will get caught up in the moment like I did, expecting some outlaw to come crashing through a saloon window, after being launched from the business end of the fist of a John Wayne, or a Matt Dillon.
If you like museum experiences, the courthouse museum will fit the bill. It's actually a state historic park. The courthouse itself is the oldest, still standing courthouse in Arizona. Inside you can view interesting artifacts, displays, original county offices, and a hoosegow; well worth the price of admission. Outside, in the back courtyard, you will discover some fascinating replica gallows.
One of the most interesting places we found was the Bird Cage Theatre, kept in its original state. If you look up at the ceiling or get up close to the walls, you can see bullet holes from some cowboy hooplas, or nasty confrontations. There are 46 bullet holes in the building. The Bird Cage, as well as putting on entertainment, had a gambling parlor, saloon, and brothel.
Another interesting bit of trivia – brothels were quite prominent in historical Tombstone as prostitution was legal in Arizona at the time. "The ladies of the night," had to be registered. During Tombstone's population boom there were 3,000 of them working in the world's oldest profession.
Stepping back into the Wild West era surely includes seeing a gunfight. There are a number of historic gunfight reenactments that you can choose from in Tombstone. The most famous would be that at the OK Corral, site of the legendary gunfight between Wyatt Earp and his brothers against the Clanton family and others. Reality may not quite live up to legend for you, as the fight actually took place on a vacant lot and lasted less than a minute. Nevertheless, it's quite a captivating experience, (blanks are used) to see and hear guns-a-blazin and watch the villains bite the dust in a heap.
No visit to Tombstone is complete without a sojourn to Boot Hill, on the outskirts of town. Boot Hill was a common name for many cemeteries in the Wild West. It referred chiefly to cowboys who literally died with their boots on. You will find that many of the tombstones have compelling and/or humorous epitaphs that tell you how the deceased met their fate – often in a trivial manner. One reads: "Here Lies Lester Moore. Four Slugs From A 44. No Less No More."
Tombstone is about 40 kilometers south of Benson, Arizona, adjacent to Interstate 10. Interstate 10 also connects with the major cities of Phoenix and Tucson. It's also about 50 kilometers from the Mexican border. There are several RV Parks in Tombstone itself.
Plenty to see and do in Tombstone, pilgrims. I reckon y'all should go there.
Tombstone RV Park & Campground
(520) 457-3829
www.tombstonervparkandcampground.com
Wells Fargo RV Park
(520) 457-3966
Tombstone Dry Camping RV Park
877-316-6714
Stampede R.V. Park
(520) 457-3738
Silver Belt RV Park
(520) 457-3961