O.K. Corral
Tombstone, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

When you think of the Old West, Tombstone and the O.K. Corral are usually not far behind. The town grew quickly after silver was discovered nearby, filling with miners, merchants, saloons, gambling halls, churches, and enough trouble to keep the local lawmen busy. 07-23

On October 26, 1881, Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan Earp joined Doc Holliday to confront Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, and other members of the Cowboy faction. Tombstone had recently passed an ordinance requiring visitors to surrender their firearms in town, and Virgil intended to disarm the group.

O.K. Corral
Tombstone, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The confrontation lasted only about 30 seconds, but roughly 30 shots were fired. Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers were killed, while Virgil, Morgan, and Doc were wounded. Wyatt Earp somehow walked away without a scratch. More than a century later, historians still argue over who fired first.

Here is the surprising part. The gunfight did not actually happen inside the O.K. Corral. It took place about six doors away in a narrow vacant lot beside C.S. Fly’s Photography Studio. The corral simply had the name that history remembered.

O.K. Corral
Tombstone, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The original livery stable burned during Tombstone’s great fire of 1882 and was rebuilt. After horses gave way to automobiles, the property even spent time as an auto-repair shop. The Love family purchased the site in 1963 and developed it into the historic attraction visitors see today.

UPDATE: The O.K. Corral remains open with museum displays, historic stables, daily gunfight reenactments, and Tombstone’s Historama presentation. Visitors can still watch those famous 30 seconds played out beneath the Arizona sun. 09-26

Boothill Graveyard
Tombstone, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Boothill Graveyard sits just outside Tombstone, the famous “Town Too Tough to Die.” It served as the community cemetery from about 1878 to 1886, becoming the final stop for outlaws, miners, gamblers, business owners, and others whose luck ran out in the Arizona Territory. 07-23

The name Boothill came from the old expression for people who died violently and were buried “with their boots on.” Not everyone resting here met such a dramatic end, but gunshots, hangings, mining accidents, disease, and the hazards of frontier life supplied the cemetery with plenty of residents.

Welcome Tombstone
Tombstone, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Billy Clanton and brothers Tom and Frank McLaury, killed during the 1881 gunfight near the O.K. Corral, are buried side by side here. Their funeral procession was reportedly one of the largest ever seen in Tombstone. Other residents include Marshal Fred White, pioneer businesswoman China Mary, and Dutch Annie, one of the town’s early madams.

By the 1920s, the abandoned cemetery had nearly disappeared beneath desert growth, and many of its original wooden markers had rotted away or been carried off by souvenir hunters. Community volunteers later cleared the grounds and recreated the markers using old burial records. Their locations may not always line up perfectly with the remains below, but the names and stories returned.

Welcome Tombstone
Tombstone, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Some recreated markers come with wonderfully memorable epitaphs. The most famous belongs to Lester Moore: “Four slugs from a .44, no Les, no more.” Naturally, Boothill also has its share of ghost tales. Billy Clanton is said to wander from his grave carrying a pistol, while a mysterious Lady in Red is sometimes identified as China Mary, who was reportedly buried in her finest red clothing.

UPDATE: Boothill Graveyard remains open as one of Tombstone’s most popular historic attractions. Its rustic entrance sign, reconstructed markers, dusty rows of graves, and restless collection of legends continue welcoming curious visitors. 09-26