Friday, June 26, 2009

Onward Bound

Onward bound, or more accurately, southeast bound, to Tombstone we go.

The first stop just outside of Tombstone is Boothill Cemetery. Entrance is free, but for $2, you will receive "A Descriptive List of the more than 250 Graves in Boothill." I, of course, had to satisfy my morbid curiosity and popped for the pamphlet.

In Row 7, there is "Killeen. Shot by Frank Leslie, 1880. Results of a disagreement over Killeen's wife. Leslie married the widow." The West has so many such tales of betrayal and vigilantism and gunfights and stuff. It would have been like living in a soap opera year-round.

It's fairly obvious that the headstones aren't original, but the inscriptions certainly are.

More dead people, but not just any dead people. The McLaurys and Clantons were killed in a gunfight at the O.K. Corral when they faced Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday and Virgil and Morgan Earp on October 26, 1881.

This is probably the most famous tombstone in the cemetery. It is pictured on no less than 100 postcards. Actually, I have no idea about that, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was on more than that.

Supposedly, Moore died in a dispute with a man over a package while he was a Wells Fargo agent in Naco. The other guy died too. I'm not sure I want to know what was in the package.

Vigilantism was alive and well, back in the day. Big Nose Kate's Saloon proclaims it loud and clear, and in stained glass (okay, well, probably painted glass considering the state of the black hat at the bottom).

Nothing says "Old West" like big ol' cattle skull. I really should have gotten one for the grill on the front of my car. Because that would have been awesome.

Yay, mining! (Sorry, creativity fails me at this point). Actually, this mine, like most things in Tombstone, is now a tourist attraction.

But the old high school on the main road through Tombstone is for sale, in case you're feeling entrepreneurial and would like to start a business there.

The Vintage Rose Cottage hangs laundry out on the roof. Actually, I think that laundry has been out there for a quite a while, and probably never comes down, but it does lend a certain amount of charm, don't you think?

The streets of Tombstone are dirt, and there are all sorts of people milling about, including a not-insignificant number in costume. There are some definite characters, including Stephen Keith, who I saw at the bar of the Crystal Palace. You might remember him from this feature on The Colbert Report. For the record, I don't think that clip exaggerates his quirkiness at all.

But not everyone in costume has quite that demeanor. I was rendered speechless when a man walked by me in sheriff's regalia, simultaneously tipping his hat and saying "How do you do, ma'am." I was so taken aback by this polite gesture that I could barely get out the words "Very well, thank you," before he was out of earshot.

And they say that chivalry is dead, but "they" haven't been to Tombstone.

As I mentioned before, the O.K. Corral was the site of a pretty famous gunfight. It's touted as the "World's Most Famous" one by the operation that runs the daily reenactments, but I think that might be debatable. In any case, it's certainly the sight of an important moment in Western History. I didn't have time to stay for one of the reenactments, so I just bought some souvenirs.

The Longhorn Restaurant serves up a mean breakfast. And by mean, I mean with gun slinging and stuff. Nah, just kidding. The chicken fried steak is decent, and the portion is huge. More than enough for two people.

At the end of the day, there's not much more enjoyable than a stroll with friends. But a petticoat and umbrella make it seem so much more fashionable.

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