Tombstone AZ - a little history, a little "cheese"

I was in Tucson recently (work trip) and decided to drive down to Tombstone since I had a couple of hours to kill the first day.  From Tucson, I took I-10 to Rt 80 (near  Benson).

As I got near Tombstone, I encountered a border patrol station - it was set up for traffic headed the opposite direction as me.  It seemed odd to me to have a station that far from the border (40 miles or so) but the following day I saw a news report that they found a huge stash of cocaine in the trunk of a car (drug sniffing dog found it) at the border station. 

Tombstone was originally called "Goose Flats". Ed Schieffelin was a prospector who, when he decided to explore southern Arizona in the late 1800's, was told by his friends that he'd only find his tombstone (it was Apache territory). He discovered silver and named one of the mines "Tombstone". It later was adopted as the community name.


Tombstone is a tiny little town. The sidewalks are made of wood - I assume to replicate what they were like in the "olden days".  The fact that they were screwed down, like you'd see on a deck, made them look a little less than authentic.

you can take a tour of the town in a stagecoach

When I got there they were just beginning to "recruit" tourists to see the shoot-out re-enactment.  There were gunslingers in the street.


For you "Tombstone" fans, can you guess who is who?

 For $10 I got to go into a walled off area to see the show.  This is the "cheesy" part - frankly I wouldn't recommend going to see this - not because of the price but because it was just a very commercial way of making some money.  The replica of the OK Corral was just a gravel lot with a fake set of storefronts.  There were metal bleachers to sit on while you watch the "show".  My tip - skip this show and rent the movie.

I did enjoy walking around the little town.  Lots of shops.  One interesting saloon.  Lots of funny signs.

A stop at Boothill Cemetery was a must





The best part about the trip was the drive back to Tucson.  Instead of driving back on Rt 80, I took the scenic route - 82 to 83.  The scenery was spectacular.  Made me wish I was on my Harley. 



I encountered a second border patrol station on Rt 82 out in the middle of nowhere.  It was almost dark. At this point I was thinking that if I plan a Harley trip through this area, I wouldn't want to do it solo.  The border patrol agent was very nice.  I asked him how close I was to the border and he told me about 30 miles.  I just wanted to make sure I hadn't taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way.

Found a great little steakhouse in Sonoita (where 82 intersects with 83) - The Steak Out, where your menu is printed on a brown paper bag.  Great food, casual atmosphere.  I'd go back (actually I did go back - repeated the whole trip with my 2 co-workers later in the week).

If you're in the southern part of Arizona, take the drive.  Its a beautiful area.  Tombstone was small but fun to visit - especially if you've seen and enjoyed the movie!

Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, Arizona's smallest state park