The town too tough to die. The town is said to be haunted by many ghosts named and unnamed. Since they are known to only wander at night, we doubt we will be privy to any.
It is said that Tombstone, at the height of the gold rush had a population, both settled and transient, large enough to support 100 saloons. Well, with our stomachs rumbling we are heading to the Big Nose Kate Saloon, aka Grand Hotel, for a late lunch. This was not a saloon back in the day but is now a popular hangout for tourists. Hey, that’s what we are!
Big Nose Kate did run the first saloon-brothel combination in Tombstone, and she was thought to be the town’s first prostitute. She was also Doc Holiday’s constant companion through the years and scandalous at the time, his live-in girlfriend.
It is pretty crowded and the hostess is telling us it will be about a half hour to seat us but there is a gift shop downstairs. So we head down to peak around at the goods. It is your typical gift shop with typical items. In the back, there’s a barred doorway blocking off a small room with a great sign over the top that reads: Tradition. “To honor one’s ancestors is to respect the past. In honoring the past we are protecting the future.” There are some “snowflakes” that should take heed of this message. Okay, off the soapbox now.
This is the room of “The Swamper” a janitor who lived in the hotel and, unbeknownst to the hotel’s owner, dug a private tunnel into one of the Tombstone mines. As the story goes, Swamper’s ghost still protects his hidden fortune.
Our buzzer rings and we head upstairs for some much-needed food. We place our order and enjoy the atmosphere. When John’s “Big Ass Beer” comes, we notice that they felt the need to also print on the glass that it is a “Big Ass Beer.”
Wow, this was a grand hotel apparently, it offered upgrade options.
Though it is mid-day the atmosphere is that of an evening in an old-west saloon. The waiters and waitresses are dressed in period-appropriate outfits and there is live music. Though we are too early for the live band, this guy is VERY entertaining and he keeps the crowd engaged and warns those waiting to be served that this is not an establishment for intimate, quiet conversation. It’s a saloon. It’s loud and sometimes obnoxious. We think its fun.
Now that we have full bellies and a head full of cowboy songs, it is time to walk around town and see if we can’t catch a few gunfights. There are lots of stagecoach rides available with both horses and the more traditional burros. Yeah, apparently burros were used to pull the coaches more so than horses. Who knew?
Well, here is a place we need to check out. In the Gunfight Palace, they act out the gunfights that took place before and right up until the shoot out at the O. K. Corral. I don’t think you can by a flesh and blood horse, but it seems if you are interested, you can get an “iron horse” care of Harley Davidson.
We sat through several reenactments and a lot of stories about what was going on in the town during the time when the Clanton-McLaury gang was clashing with the Earps. From what we are learning there was a lot of tension in the town as a whole leading up to the shoot out.
I’m thinking in a town like Tombstone, these guys were pretty busy.
There are lots of humorous signs all around the town. This is one of our favorites.
The time of the shoot out at the O.K. Corral is approaching so we make our way to the gift shop/museum/stage area. Ooo looky this, someone famous rubbed their but here!!!
Most of the physical structures of the museum are outside, where they have set up the in the actual gunfight site, the characters, and positions. EEE!!! The characters move!!!
The show is beginning. We take our seats and we are informed by one of the actors that this is an interactive show. We have to boo when the bad guys come on stage and cheer for the good guys. By the middle of the act, everyone is getting into it and the interaction of the crowd with the actors added some good laughs to a sober moment in history.
We have had a long but great day in the Bisbee and Tombstone towns today.
