Adventure 335: Kartchner Caverns State Park/Post B

Main Street

"Stop right there, you sniveling sidewinder, and I'm not talking to you Abdul." I can only imagine that Ike Clanton uttered this statement right before the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ. (Who knows in this make it up as you go reality? It could be an alternative reality). This morning, we drove to Sierra Vista to get the oil changed in Fric. We did a little shopping at a very cool Food Co-op and had some Beef Bulgogi for lunch at Mom's Kitchen, which offers a medley of German, Korean, and Japanese dishes along with a couple of obligatory Southwestern burritos. The bulgogi, while quite tasty, didn't quite match up to the authentic Korean food Kiyoong prepares for us at home. On our way back to Kartchner, we decided it would be easier to tour the legendary town of Tombstone without Frac behind us. We were right. Tombstone, once the county seat of Cochise County, was incorporated in the late 1870s. As many as 14,000 arrived in search of their fortune (There are 1,300 or so today). Between 1877-1890, they dug almost 80 million dollars worth of silver from the mine. In its heyday, tombstone boasted 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls, innumerable dance halls, a myriad of brothels, quite a few grubby miners, a mass of swindlers, a few gunfighters, and some "ranchers" (Like the Clantons) who made a tidy living rustling cattle from the Mexicans just a short thirty miles away as an easy way to provide stores for the local eateries. The famous Earp brothers arrived some time in the 1880s and immediately tensions developed between them and the ranchers. The money men of the time (Republicans, ironically) found it profitable enough to build a rail line to transport silver (Actually two because the Copper barons of Bisbee tired of dragging their wagons to the Tombstone line, so they built their own rail road, which often ran parallel to the other. Greed has no bounds). The rail lines also made it easier for those eager  to get to the territories. At the time of the famous gunfight, the silver mine was close to tapped out because of a fire that burned the huge and very expensive water pumps the mining bosses had installed after they inadvertently struck the water table. By that time, it was too expensive to replace the pumps, so the big money guys pulled up stakes, the town dried up, and all that was left was spoiled water, mine debris, and a few pine board buildings. Tombstone almost died completely in the early 1900s, and would have if it hadn't been the county seat (It gave up that designation around 1927. Today, the place is a vibrant tourism trap gladly accepting nearly 450,000 visitors a year. The town, once a devil's brew of dubious behavior, is now a very staid community. The wooden sidewalks are empty by dusk, which is a far cry from the 24/7 hubbub of the late 1800s, but the locals are still "miners" and "hucksters". Judy and I walked the town, entertained by the authentically dressed actors who all wore side arms, leather vests, and dusty boots. Every face sported some version of bushy facial hair, and a Tombstone scowl. All were hawking tickets for stage coach rides, mine tours, theater tickets, or BBQ. There were even women dressed in full length gaberdine dresses. It was all quite authentic, and truly American. A tourist could find himself fleeced and floured just like any poor sap miner of old. We held tight to our money pouch and enjoyed the spectacle for free. It's part of the really fun things we get to experience on our adventure. Everywhere we go in America, we see people (Another irony: all descended from immigrants) enjoying a life that is good, especially today.

 Flashback: Hot rod of the day. 1955 Chevy Coupe Convertible.

 The county courthouse, which is now an Arizona State Park (Great museum).

 Visitors can tour the town in a stage coach.

 Great wood art.

 Street entertainers. This guy danced to fiddle music.

 Imagine: 110 saloons. Talk about supply and demand!

 This old gal was hawking tickets for the mine tour.

 I'm pretty sure Paul Ryan and Nikki Haley will have to buy new boots.

 Spooky.

 Much of Tombstone is on the historical register.

 Draw!

Teachers (single women) made $75.00/month, and were under contract not to be seen downtown eating ice-cream (Drinking anything stronger than milk meant immediate dismissal).