Gunshots rang out on October 26, 1881, and men laid dead at the OK Corral. It was forever known as the famous Old West shootout.
Gun slinging characters slowly swagger down the boot-worn wooden sidewalks of Tombstone, Arizona. Tipped cowboy hats and plenty of gun twirling make this old Western town come alive. Women dressed in frilly dancehall costumes say howdy to the tourists on this sunny day.
Silver Mines
Known in the 1880s for prosperous silver and gold mines, Tombstone is now a tourist attraction that brings you back into the era. Locals reenact as miners with hard hats and large picks carried over the shoulder and there is a tour of a silver mine. Saloons with original bar rails and bullet holes in ceilings, as well as nightly ghost tours to the cemetery and other places around town where dead spirits are known to appear, are part of the town character.
Lunch during a gun fight
We had lunch at Six Gun City, and while sitting under the covered patio, ordered burgers and fries while watching a gun reenactment show. Entertaining how the law and gunslingers settled disputes. The characters exchanged a barrage of accusations and threats as loud gunshots rang out. A much different type of judicial system!
This article was revised from the original article.
Published November 2010: sandiegoreader.com
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