Folks, last time I was in Tombstone was around 2005 or so and I'm pleased to tell you, they ain't ruined it. As you can see up above, the Earp posse was fixin' to have a shootout at the OK Corral when I met up with them. Tombstone is, of course, a tourist stop, but the folks who live and work in the very-much-alive small town take history seriously and encourage local industry as well, What's not to like?
Speaking of which, I met a young man who, with his lovely wife, recently opened up the White Raven Trading Company & Museum of the Strange down in the "Hoptown" district. Now as far as I know, you can't buy Chinese girls and opium there anymore, which I say is all for the best as I ain't in favor of human trafficking and hard drugs, but you can stock up on some rather obscure Voodoo ingredients, visit a Fiji Mermaid , and of you're really feelin' it, he's got a mounted Assquatch specimen or two.
As always, the Birdcage Theater is a highlight and it too did not disappoint. It's one of those places that tangibly puts you back in history where the scale was smaller, life was dirtier, and there wasn't no air conditioning. It doesn't exult the "simplicity of the past" of any of that nonsense - it shows you that folks ain't changed much 'cept that in order to survive in challenging times,
you'd better be resourceful. And that's if contagious disease or gunplay don't bring you low first.
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