Tombstone, AZ
Attractions, Stories and Features
Several of the saloons in Tombstone offer live music on weekends, and most can accommodate dancing. There are a number of gunfight shows in town, stagecoach and wagon tours, and a city park.
Stroll down to the Boot Hill Cemetery and see how the old time cowboys lived and died in Tombstone. Then make your way to Allen Street and the rest of Tombstone, where the Wild West comes alive again. From the Birdcage Theater to the OK Corral.
Antique Engines and Model As at Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park October 17-18
Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park invites you to the Annual Engine and Tractor Show with Model A Cars on Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, October 18, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Held during Helldorado Days in Tombstone, Arizona, the event will feature antique engines, tractors and Model A cars on display. The model A cars will be on display Saturday, October 17th only. The antique engines and tractors are provided by Power from the Past Association. "Power from the Past" comprises the sources of mechanical energy used in the home, on the farm, and in industry, mining and oil pumping before electricity became readily available. The turn of the last century (1800s to 1900s) saw the use of a vast array of engines and tractors powered by steam, kerosene, gasoline and natural gas that brought power where it was needed to make life easier or more productive. Many of these "antiques" are still in working order but others require much rehabilitation and attention before they will "breathe" again.
This event is a fundraiser for both Power from the Past Antique Engine Club and the Friends of Tombstone Courthouse. Power from the Past will be providing fresh made ice cream (limited quantities) on a first come first served basis. The Friends of Tombstone Courthouse will be selling beverages and raffle tickets for gourmet picnic baskets.
This event is held in conjunction with Tombstone's Helldorado Days. Helldorado, since its inception in 1929, has focused on the guardianship of Tombstone's infamous past. This celebration is the city's oldest event. Watch the streets of Tombstone fill up for a grand parade on Sunday. There'll be bands, gunfighters, saloon girls, cowboys, mounted and marching units, horses, cars, model As, tractors, royalty and floats to celebrate the past and present of Tombstone, Arizona.
Tombstone, the West's wildest mining town owes its beginning to Ed Schieffelin, who prospected the nearby hills in 1877 discovering rich lodes of silver. Miners soon built a shantytown on the closest level space to the mines, then known as Goose Flats. In 1881 the population reached 10,000, rivaling both Tucson (county seat) and Prescott (territorial capital). The well known Earp and Clanton feud culminated in the famous gun battle near the OK Corral. A disastrous fire burned out much of the infant town, but it was immediately rebuilt by 1882. Tombstone's first heyday came to an end in 1886, but not before $37,000,000 worth of silver had been taken from the mines.
For more information please call Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park at (520) 457-3311. The Park is located on the corner of Toughnut and 3rd Streets, 2 blocks off Highway 80, in Tombstone, Arizona.
Admission to the event is free, but regular park fees apply for visitors inside Tombstone
Courthouse State Historic Park. Regular park fees are $4 per person for those aged 14 and
up; children aged 13 and younger are free when accompanied by an adult.
For more information about the 30 State Parks, statewide hiking opportunities, off-highway vehicle trails, and other outdoor recreational and cultural opportunities in Arizona, call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free (800) 285-3703) or visit AZStateParks.com. Follow us on twitter.com/AZStateParks.
Watch and Download Free Western Movies
"The Outlaw" (1943)
Scandalous for it's time, "The Outlaw" directed by Howard Hughes, is the story of Billy the Kid, Doc Holiday, and Pat Garrett.
"Sheriff of Tombstone" (1941)
Stars Roy Rogers who is mistaken for a gunslinger when requested by the Sheriff to help.
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Tombstone Web Links:
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Tombstone 2009 Events:
Tourists can visit the actual corral where the gun battle took place. Shootout demonstrations are held throughout the year. Here are just some of the events held in Tombstone in 2009:
November 27-29
10th Annual Tombstone Territorial “Ace La Rue Memorial” Championship an exhilarating cowboy shootout presented by the Tombstone Buscaderos, free, 9 am, 520-743-0179 or www.tombstonebuscaderos.com/
November 15-20
Annual Western History Symposium and Book Exposition meet acclaimed western authors and collectors of Western memorabilia, symposiums on the western genre, autographed books from your favorite authors, free, 602-316-9461 or www.tombstonechamber.com
November 12-14, 2009
15th Annual Clanton Gang Reunion - reunion of the Clantons, activities include historical speakers and tours, look-alike best-dressed contests, www.clantongang.com
November 6-8, 2009
8th Annual Western Music Festival live western music, performed on the Allen Street Stage and at the historic Schieffelin Hall, $15, 520-457-3616 or 520-457-2295 or www.tombstonewesternmusicfestival.com or www.tombstonechamber.com
November 1, 2009
Halloween in Tombstone Territory bike ride approx. 40-50 miles each day, wwwmbikegaba.org
October 8-11
TOMBSTONE: Corvettes and Ghost Riders Allen Street, events include an early cowpoke rendezvous, welcome rustlers corral, boardwalk rally, people’s choice NCCC car show, Cochise County Road Tour, free, 10 am 4 pm, www.corvettesandghostriders.com or www.tombstonechamber.com
October 16-18, 2009:
Tombstone Helldorado Days. 80th annual event with over 30 different entertainment groups from gunfighters, belly dancers, cowboy stories and linedancers to song, music and just plain old good fun. Helldorado Days is held on the second Friday in October. It is Tombstone's major event. See more about Tombstone Helldorado Days.
October 17-18
TOMBSTONE: 19th Annual Power from the Past Antique Power Show Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, operating antique engines will pump water, make ice cream, generate electricity, also a static display of antique tractors, free, Sat 8 am 5 pm, Sun 8 am 3 pm, 520-457-3311 or www.azstateparks.com
October 17-18
TUBAC: Juan Bautista de Anza Days - Tubac Presidio State Park, a living history celebration of the Indian, Mexican and Spanish Colonial periods, reenactment of Anza's famous trek, costumes, demonstrations, food and entertainment, $3, 10 am - 4 pm, 520-398-2704 or 520-398-2252 or www.tubacaz.com or www.azstateparks.com H
October 22-25:
TUBAC: Sacred Global CosmoPop Concert & EcoFest Avalon Gardens, this “Festival of Hope” includes live music, independent films, activist theater, eco-conscious speakers, Gabriel of Urantia & The Bright & Morning Star Band, CosmoPop is a fusion of rock, pop, jazz, folk, Celtic, and country-western, with added mantras and a style of dancing, called CosmoDance, in which people follow the Spirit within them, donations, 520-603-9932 or www.CosmoPopFestivals.org
September 4-7:
28th Annual Rendezvous of Gunfighters - Allen St., 3 days of shows in the O.K. Corral by the best western show groups from around the US, authentic costume parade on Sunday, $4 for the O.K. Corral, 5 shows daily, 520-457-3548 or www.tombstonechamber.com or www.tombstonewildbunch.org H
June 19-21:
Sabbar Shriner's Sweet Onion Festival Allen Street, casino night, Taste of Tombstone, parade, music, free, 10 am 4 pm, 520-457-9327 or 520-457-3197 or www.tombstonechamber.com
June 19-21:
7th Annual Gem & Mineral Show Holiday Inn Express, gems, jewelry, mineral specimens and fossils, mineral artists, free, Fri-Sat 10 am 6 pm, Sun 10 am 4 pm, 520-457-9505 or www.tombstonegemshow.info
Memorial Day Weekend: Wyatt Earp Days. Sponsored by the Tombstone Lions Club to raise money for youth activities. Chili cook-off, fashion shows by the Tombstone Vigilettes and gunfight re-enactments by the Tombstone Renegade Lions and the Tombstone Vigilantes and games.
Celebrate Vigilante Days and 125 Years of the Courthouse at Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park
"Ed Schieffelin's Territorial Days Celebration"
The story of Tombstone, AZ
The history of Tombstone, Arizona begins in the dusty deserts of the Southwest US.
A mining claim that was staked by prospector Ed Schieffelin in March 1877 set roots for the town of Tombstone, located in southeast Arizona near Tucson.
When Ed struck it rich, his brother yelled out "You lucky cuss!" They named the mine You Lucky Cuss, while others mines such as Toughnut and Goodenough blossomed nearby.
Tombstone, Arizona was incorporated in 1879 and soon swelled to over 10,000 residents.
The famous O.K. Corral gunfight with Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp against the Clantons was in 1881.
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