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​






tombstone - part two

Saloons, Ghosts and Boot Hill Cemetary

By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life
Published February, 2019


TOMBSTONE_After the shootout at the O.K. Corral, and lunch at the O.K. Corral Cafe, we ambled down Allen Street toward another famous landmark, the Bird Cage Theatre.

We learned (thank you, Wikipedia) that the theater opened on Dec. 26, 1881. Owners Lottie and Billy Hutchinson apparently aspired to offer wholesome family entertainment, but most of the Tombstone miners and cowboys weren't interested in spending their hard-earned money on that.

It quickly expanded into a saloon, gambling, colorful acts and a brothel. The name, by the way, stems from the ladies suspended in "bird cages" from the ceiling.

Touring it today is like a step back in history. Relics and artifacts have been carefully preserved, including bullet holes in the walls and the table in the basement where the world's longest continuous poker game was played 24 hours a day for eight years. 

Another thing about the Bird Cage: It's haunted. Tourists report the smell of whiskey and cigars, and others have seen the visages of some of the 26 people who died within its walls. No wonder it's been the focus of a number of paranormal investigators. Take the spooky night tour and see for yourself.

As the mines closed and the population dwindled, the theater closed in 1892, only to reopen decades later as an historic tourist attraction. 
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Not a happy ending for Lizette
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Picture
Some of the private boxes at the Bird Cage
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The site of the poker game that never stopped

The Tombstone Epitaph -- Still Reporting the News

Down Fifth Street, off Allen, we wandered into the offices of The Tombstone Epitaph, "the oldest continuously published newspaper in Arizona," founded in 1880. Since we both had careers in the newspaper business, how could we not?

Inside is a combination newspaper office and museum, housing the "hot type" relics of publishing days long past. One of their main claims to fame is the story they ran on the O.K. Corral gunfight.  Old West and Tombstone history is now a mainstream product for them.
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Picture
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A skeleton, left, mans this old linotype machine, which produced the stories in hot lead kept in
the trays stacked above. 

Silver Strike Winery

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Just down the street from the O.K. Corral is the Silver Strike Winery. Their wines come from grapes grown locally, and come in many varieties. We stopped for a tasting and left with a bottle of their "TNT" as a memento. Wonder what the cowboys of the 1880s would think about attending a wine tasting?
Picture

Tombstone Ghosts

Picture
The pursuit of ghosts and the paranormal is big business in Tombstone, with numerous tours available. They say it's one of the most haunted places in the country. Considering its violent past, that's not surprising. Our visit didn't allow time to find out for ourselves, but it's on our "to do" list for a future trip.
Picture

Boot Hill -- The End of the Trail

Besides the O.K. Corral, Boot Hill is no doubt the other attraction most synonymous with Tombstone. Located on the outskirts of the Historic District, it's the final resting place for many felled by bullets or at the end of a rope.

This is where you'll find the graves of the cowboys gunned down at the O.K. Corral  -- Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury.
It was officially closed in 1886. Now it draws thousands of tourists, who pay $3 to tour the graves.
Picture
Picture
They say somewhere between 200
​ and 300 people are buried here.
Picture
Picture
Picture
'Here
Lies
George
Johnson
Hanged by
Mistake
1882

He Was Right
We Was Wrong
But We Strung
Him Up
And Now He's
Gone'
Picture
Picture
Picture
The graves of O.K. Corral victims Billy Clanton, Frank and Tom McLaury

POST SCRIPT

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When old meets new ... this stagecoach driver talks on his cell phone.
ROAD TRIP: EPILOGUE

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