Aside from the Wild West atmosphere of East Allen Street, Tombstone's most popular tourist attraction is the old county courthouse. Tombstone was the county seat of Cochise County until 1929. In that year, when Tombstone's population had dwindled to only 86 people, the county government moved to Bisbee, and remains in Bisbee to this day. Today, Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is the smallest state park in Arizona, but one of the most visited. The park only covers 1/3 of an acre. It consists of the courthouse, the grounds around it, a small building across the street that once contained lawyers' offices and a small picnic area next to the former lawyers' offices, between the south wall of the building and the edge of
East Toughnut Street, which is named after a mine.
The old courthouse is a handsome 12,000 square-foot Victorian building built out of red brick. It is 2 stories tall. This building, with its tall clock tower, still dominates the town. The old courthouse is now a museum dedicated to the history of Tombstone and the immediate area. The courtroom has been restored to the way it looked in 1882. Other rooms in the old courthouse house themed exhibits. For example, one room is dedicated to the mining history of the area, another room is
dedicated to cattle ranching, one room is dedicated to the military, one room has a recreated gambling hall from the 1880s, another room is devoted to the Apache Wars, still another room has a recreated saloon. There is also a room that features exhibits about the world famous Gunfight at the OK Corral.
Other items of interest inside the old courthouse include fine antiques that were brought to the town by horse-drawn wagons or steam locomotives, glass cases that display dolls and other toys that were popular in the 1800s, musical instruments from the pioneer era, a recreated attorney's office of the time, a recreated
post office and assay office of the Wild West era, and alot of historic photos, which was my favorite part of the visit.
Outside the building, in the back, is a gallows that was used to hang people with the noose still in place. It is rather macabre, but it is also an integral part of Wild West history, so I guess it belongs.
The railroad tracks near the courthouse have been pulled up, but the raised railroad grade is still in place.
Stagecoach rides are given daily on East Allen Street and there are frequent reenactments of the Gunfight at the OK Corral.
Tombstone's world wide fame is the economic lifeblood of the town. For such a small town, Tombstone caters to alot of visitors. About 2 million visitors per year visit Tombstone, making it Arizona's third most popular tourist attraction, after the Grand Canyon and Sedona.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Town Too Tough To Die
This is the motto for Tombstone, Arizona. This slogan was adopted after the town dwindled to near ghost town status, but then bounced back after tourists began to seek out the town because of its well publicized and fascinating history.
In 1877, Tombstone was founded by Ed Schiefflin. He was camped out in the area when he spotted an outcropping of silver ore. He realized the rich potential of this find but also realized he would need money to develop a mine, so he went to his brother and told him about the discovery. Together they contacted an assayer and
the assayer valued the ore at $2,000 a ton. The three of them staked several claims in the area, the first two being called the "Tombstone" and the "Graveyard."
Soon, word got out about the find and within two years, the population exploded to 15,000 people. In its heyday, there were 5 newspapers in town, the most famous being called the "Tombstone Epitaph." This newspaper is still in business on a somewhat limited basis, now it is mostly a tourist newspaper. Today the town's principal newspaper is called "The Tombstone Tumbleweed."
Soon the town was "invaded" by such famous gunfighters as Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, Doc Holliday, Tom McLaury, Billy Clanton and Johnny Ringo.
Gunfights were a way of life in Tombstone, it was one of the most lawless towns in the Wild West of the 1800s. The daily gunfights culminated with the infamous
"Gunfight at the OK Corral" in 1881 between members of the Earp faction against members of the McLaury/Clanton faction. It is generally believed by historians that the gunfight lasted no more than 30 seconds, but it was the most famous 30 seconds in history. Wyatt Earp's brother, Virgil, who was the sheriff of Tombstone, was crippled by gunshot wounds in this volley of gunfire.
In its heyday, Tombstone had more than 100 saloons that operated around the clock, catering to a population of gunfighters, gamblers, miners, cowboys, shopkeepers and prostitutes.
In 1882, Cochise County was created by the territorial legislature of Arizona and Tombstone was named as its seat of government, a distinction it held until 1929.
By the early 1900s, Tombstone started to fall on hard times as mine productivity began to dwindle year by year. By 1929, the population had shrunk until there were only 86 people still living in Tombstone. That is when the county government moved to the burgeoning town of Bisbee, 24 miles to the southeast, where it remains to the present day.
Today the population of Tombstone has rebounded to 1,604. For the past 40 years, the town has maintained a population in the 1,500 range. The town is devoted 100% to reliving its wild and woolly past that made it famous. It is one of the best known "Wild West" towns in the world. The citizens of Tombstone make every effort to glamorize its past by maintaining historic buildings, staging gunfights in the streets and giving stagecoach rides to visitors from all over the world. Boothill Cemetery on the edge of town is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, alot of famous names from Wild West lore can be seen on the headstones. The cemetery got its name because of all of the people who "died with their boots on" after being killed in gunfights. The citizens of Tombstone have even gone so far as to close three blocks of East Allen Street and restore it to how it looked in 1881, as much as possible. The only motorized vehicles allowed on this portion of the street are delivery vehicles to supply the stores and emergency vehicles. Now the street is full of stagecoaches and foot traffic. However, instead of tearing up the pavement, dirt was dumped on top of the street and evened out to give it the appearance of a street in the 1800s. This is the street the OK Corral is located on and the corral is open for tours, of course. The street is lined with boardwalks, just like in the old days. On the east end of the historic district is the Bird Cage Theater. It was built in 1881 and despite its name, it was once known as "the wildest saloon between New Orleans and San Francisco."
In September 1880, George Parsons made a diary entry that stated " A man will go to the devil pretty fast in Tombstone...Faro, whiskey and bad women will beat anyone."
In 1877, Tombstone was founded by Ed Schiefflin. He was camped out in the area when he spotted an outcropping of silver ore. He realized the rich potential of this find but also realized he would need money to develop a mine, so he went to his brother and told him about the discovery. Together they contacted an assayer and
the assayer valued the ore at $2,000 a ton. The three of them staked several claims in the area, the first two being called the "Tombstone" and the "Graveyard."
Soon, word got out about the find and within two years, the population exploded to 15,000 people. In its heyday, there were 5 newspapers in town, the most famous being called the "Tombstone Epitaph." This newspaper is still in business on a somewhat limited basis, now it is mostly a tourist newspaper. Today the town's principal newspaper is called "The Tombstone Tumbleweed."
Soon the town was "invaded" by such famous gunfighters as Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, Doc Holliday, Tom McLaury, Billy Clanton and Johnny Ringo.
Gunfights were a way of life in Tombstone, it was one of the most lawless towns in the Wild West of the 1800s. The daily gunfights culminated with the infamous
"Gunfight at the OK Corral" in 1881 between members of the Earp faction against members of the McLaury/Clanton faction. It is generally believed by historians that the gunfight lasted no more than 30 seconds, but it was the most famous 30 seconds in history. Wyatt Earp's brother, Virgil, who was the sheriff of Tombstone, was crippled by gunshot wounds in this volley of gunfire.
In its heyday, Tombstone had more than 100 saloons that operated around the clock, catering to a population of gunfighters, gamblers, miners, cowboys, shopkeepers and prostitutes.
In 1882, Cochise County was created by the territorial legislature of Arizona and Tombstone was named as its seat of government, a distinction it held until 1929.
By the early 1900s, Tombstone started to fall on hard times as mine productivity began to dwindle year by year. By 1929, the population had shrunk until there were only 86 people still living in Tombstone. That is when the county government moved to the burgeoning town of Bisbee, 24 miles to the southeast, where it remains to the present day.
Today the population of Tombstone has rebounded to 1,604. For the past 40 years, the town has maintained a population in the 1,500 range. The town is devoted 100% to reliving its wild and woolly past that made it famous. It is one of the best known "Wild West" towns in the world. The citizens of Tombstone make every effort to glamorize its past by maintaining historic buildings, staging gunfights in the streets and giving stagecoach rides to visitors from all over the world. Boothill Cemetery on the edge of town is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, alot of famous names from Wild West lore can be seen on the headstones. The cemetery got its name because of all of the people who "died with their boots on" after being killed in gunfights. The citizens of Tombstone have even gone so far as to close three blocks of East Allen Street and restore it to how it looked in 1881, as much as possible. The only motorized vehicles allowed on this portion of the street are delivery vehicles to supply the stores and emergency vehicles. Now the street is full of stagecoaches and foot traffic. However, instead of tearing up the pavement, dirt was dumped on top of the street and evened out to give it the appearance of a street in the 1800s. This is the street the OK Corral is located on and the corral is open for tours, of course. The street is lined with boardwalks, just like in the old days. On the east end of the historic district is the Bird Cage Theater. It was built in 1881 and despite its name, it was once known as "the wildest saloon between New Orleans and San Francisco."
In September 1880, George Parsons made a diary entry that stated " A man will go to the devil pretty fast in Tombstone...Faro, whiskey and bad women will beat anyone."
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Nogales
I have been to quite a few towns on the Mexican border, but Nogales, Arizona is one of my favorite border towns. It's not as dirty as many border cities are and it's not as desperately poor as other border cities. The downtown business district, as might be expected, is located right next to the border fence. The downtown area has alot of signs in Spanish and alot of outdoor vendors. The outdoor vendors are most prevalent along Grand Avenue (the main street of Nogales) and Morley Avenue, one block farther east.
The border between the United States and Mexico is a big, ugly, black, steel fence about 20 feet high. The bottom part of the fence is opaque, which prevents people from looking through the fence into the country on the other side. To get a good view, one has to look higher up. This is best done by driving on sone of the residential streets in Nogales that climb up hills.
Dos Ambos Nogales is the Spanish name for the two cities of Nogales--Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, that face each other across the border fence. Nogales, Arizona has
26,267 people. Nogales, Mexico has about 175,000 people. I did not cross into Mexico for two reasons. First of all, I did not have a passport, which is a new requirement that took effect on January 1,2008 and also because Nogales, Sonora is one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico. It is one of the principal battlegrounds in Mexico's ongoing war with the ruthless drug cartels. While I was driving along
International Street, next to the border fence, I heard gunshots on the Mexican side. It sounded like it was only 2 or 3 blocks away. In December, in Nogales, Mexico, the chief of police was recently murdered by members of a Mexican drug cartel and his head was delivered to the police department.
Yet, the main border crossing at the south end of Grand Avenue is still one of the
busiest border crossings between the two countries. There is another crossing about 2 miles farther west, but it is mainly for trucks.
Nogales, Arizona has alot of trucking companies. The streets are literally congested with big trucks, most of which are involved in cross-border trade and shipments.
Both cities are very hilly with alot of steep streets. Nogales, Mexico is hillier than its American counterpart.
On the Arizona side, the old Santa Cruz County Courthouse sits on top of a steep hill just 3 blocks from the international border. It is a magnificent building with a silver dome and four splendid marble columns gracing the front entrance. It is now used as a museum, which is a good thing because it is a beautiful building that strikes a commanding presence from its hilltop location on Morley Avenue.
The front doors of the old courthouse are reached by climbing up 67 stairs! In addition to the 67 steps from the front lawn to the front entrance, there are also 19 steps leading from Morley Avenue to the beginning of the sidewalk in front of the building. That is a total of 86 steps to climb from the sidewalk that runs alongside the street! It would be a shame to see this building sitting vacant or, worse yet, to see it demolished. Many counties these days are using the old courthouse for court functions and have a newer, modern structure for the county administration. It would be nice to see the old courthouse still serving as a government building, but at least it is used as a museum and is still open to the public. The current county courthouse, which opened in 1988, is also on top a hill. For a modern building, it's not bad looking. Normally I am not a fan of modern architecture, but I think the new Santa Cruz County Courthouse has a pleasant design to it. The new courthouse sits a short distance east of Interstate 19 two miles from the border.
It sits virtually alone on its hilltop lair with a view of Nogales' commercial district on West Mariposa Road. This is where the majority of the city's fast food restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets and other chain businesses are located.
"Nogales" is Spanish for "walnuts." it was named for the abundance of walnut trees that grow in the area.
The border between the United States and Mexico is a big, ugly, black, steel fence about 20 feet high. The bottom part of the fence is opaque, which prevents people from looking through the fence into the country on the other side. To get a good view, one has to look higher up. This is best done by driving on sone of the residential streets in Nogales that climb up hills.
Dos Ambos Nogales is the Spanish name for the two cities of Nogales--Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, that face each other across the border fence. Nogales, Arizona has
26,267 people. Nogales, Mexico has about 175,000 people. I did not cross into Mexico for two reasons. First of all, I did not have a passport, which is a new requirement that took effect on January 1,2008 and also because Nogales, Sonora is one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico. It is one of the principal battlegrounds in Mexico's ongoing war with the ruthless drug cartels. While I was driving along
International Street, next to the border fence, I heard gunshots on the Mexican side. It sounded like it was only 2 or 3 blocks away. In December, in Nogales, Mexico, the chief of police was recently murdered by members of a Mexican drug cartel and his head was delivered to the police department.
Yet, the main border crossing at the south end of Grand Avenue is still one of the
busiest border crossings between the two countries. There is another crossing about 2 miles farther west, but it is mainly for trucks.
Nogales, Arizona has alot of trucking companies. The streets are literally congested with big trucks, most of which are involved in cross-border trade and shipments.
Both cities are very hilly with alot of steep streets. Nogales, Mexico is hillier than its American counterpart.
On the Arizona side, the old Santa Cruz County Courthouse sits on top of a steep hill just 3 blocks from the international border. It is a magnificent building with a silver dome and four splendid marble columns gracing the front entrance. It is now used as a museum, which is a good thing because it is a beautiful building that strikes a commanding presence from its hilltop location on Morley Avenue.
The front doors of the old courthouse are reached by climbing up 67 stairs! In addition to the 67 steps from the front lawn to the front entrance, there are also 19 steps leading from Morley Avenue to the beginning of the sidewalk in front of the building. That is a total of 86 steps to climb from the sidewalk that runs alongside the street! It would be a shame to see this building sitting vacant or, worse yet, to see it demolished. Many counties these days are using the old courthouse for court functions and have a newer, modern structure for the county administration. It would be nice to see the old courthouse still serving as a government building, but at least it is used as a museum and is still open to the public. The current county courthouse, which opened in 1988, is also on top a hill. For a modern building, it's not bad looking. Normally I am not a fan of modern architecture, but I think the new Santa Cruz County Courthouse has a pleasant design to it. The new courthouse sits a short distance east of Interstate 19 two miles from the border.
It sits virtually alone on its hilltop lair with a view of Nogales' commercial district on West Mariposa Road. This is where the majority of the city's fast food restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets and other chain businesses are located.
"Nogales" is Spanish for "walnuts." it was named for the abundance of walnut trees that grow in the area.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
The Mission Trail, part 8
After looking at the lime kiln, I continued down the trail to the next signpost. Just to the north of the lime kiln is the fiesta grounds, which is still used on occasion by area residents. I then headed backs toward the mission where I saw the rectangular foundation of a former Jesuit church that was next door to the Catholic mission, on the east side. Construction was started in 1753, but the completion date is unknown. What is known is that this smaller church was in use by the summer of 1757. This church was used for 10 years until the Jesuits were expelled from the area.
Near the Jesuit church foundation are the ruins of the convento, or priests' quarters. What is left of it is a good example of adobe brick construction techniques. The remaining walls very in height from a few inches to three feet. After it was no longer used as a residence for priests, it was used as a schoolhouse.
Farther south from the convento ruins is a muuro-ki. It is a traditional Tohono O'odham dwelling. it is not original but a reconstruction. It is built out of mesquite timbers, ocotillo branches and mud.It has a grass, or thatch, roof. This type of dwelling is still used extensively on the Tohono O'odham Reservation west of Tucson. It was built by O'odham people using traditional hand tools in 1997. It has a detached cooking area like the ones that are still in use on the reservation. The traditional Tohono O'odham cooking area is circular and is enclosed with branches from ocotillo plants. These cooking areas do not have roofs.
The last stop on the park trail is at the remnant of an acequia, or irrigation ditch. There is only about 15 feet of the ditch still visible. It once led from the nearby Santa Cruz River and diverted water to the mission community. There is also a "compuerta" or diversion box, which is where water was turned out of the ditch to water the nearby orchard to the east. This orchard is still in use today, all of the trees are still alive and still producing fruit!
Between the fiesta grounds and the acequia, I found a side trail that leads to a gate. This is the other end of the 4 1/2 mile that leads from Tubac Presidio.
I found my visit to Tubac and Tumacacori to be very interesting. Both places offer a great glimpse of life in the 17th and 18th centuries.
After leaving Tumacacori, I headed south toward Nogales, which is on the border with Mexico. That will be the topic of the next edition of this blog.
Near the Jesuit church foundation are the ruins of the convento, or priests' quarters. What is left of it is a good example of adobe brick construction techniques. The remaining walls very in height from a few inches to three feet. After it was no longer used as a residence for priests, it was used as a schoolhouse.
Farther south from the convento ruins is a muuro-ki. It is a traditional Tohono O'odham dwelling. it is not original but a reconstruction. It is built out of mesquite timbers, ocotillo branches and mud.It has a grass, or thatch, roof. This type of dwelling is still used extensively on the Tohono O'odham Reservation west of Tucson. It was built by O'odham people using traditional hand tools in 1997. It has a detached cooking area like the ones that are still in use on the reservation. The traditional Tohono O'odham cooking area is circular and is enclosed with branches from ocotillo plants. These cooking areas do not have roofs.
The last stop on the park trail is at the remnant of an acequia, or irrigation ditch. There is only about 15 feet of the ditch still visible. It once led from the nearby Santa Cruz River and diverted water to the mission community. There is also a "compuerta" or diversion box, which is where water was turned out of the ditch to water the nearby orchard to the east. This orchard is still in use today, all of the trees are still alive and still producing fruit!
Between the fiesta grounds and the acequia, I found a side trail that leads to a gate. This is the other end of the 4 1/2 mile that leads from Tubac Presidio.
I found my visit to Tubac and Tumacacori to be very interesting. Both places offer a great glimpse of life in the 17th and 18th centuries.
After leaving Tumacacori, I headed south toward Nogales, which is on the border with Mexico. That will be the topic of the next edition of this blog.
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