Travel Arizona

Tombstone was the "Town Too Tough to Die."

By Johnny D. Boggs

The name Earp conjures images of lawmen, but sources agree that Warren Earp, Wyatt’s baby brother, was a ne’er-do-well. Although the Earps became legend in Arizona (and two died here), only one is buried in the state. In July 1900, Warren came out the loser in a shooting scrape at the Headquarters Saloon and is planted in the Old Willcox Cemetery. Speaking of graves, the legendary stallion Koko is buried at Willcox’s Historic Railroad Park. Koko belonged to no outlaw, of course, but one of the great singing movie cowboys, a Willcox native. You can find out everything you need to know at the Rex Allen Museum and Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame, especially during the annual Rex Allen Days in October.

From Willcox, I follow I-10 west to Benson, which has its own Western influence, especially during its Territorial Days celebration the second weekend in February. North of town is Gammons Gulch, a Western town movie set open daily September through May. But if there’s one Arizona town identified with outlaws and lawmen, it’s south of Benson on Arizona 80.

I’ve reached the “Town Too Tough To Die.”

Friends warned miner Edward L. Schieffelin that he’d only find his grave in the San Pedro Valley, but instead he discovered prime silver outcroppings in 1877, and Tombstone was born. By 1880, the town’s population has risen to 10,000, attracting a who’s who of Westerners: John Clum, Curly Bill Brocius, Doc Holliday, Big Nose Kate Elder, Johnny Ringo, Buckskin Frank Leslie, Billy Claiborne, the Clantons, the McLaurys and, of course, the Earp brothers.

On October 26, 1881, Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp, joined by Doc Holliday, shot it out with the Clantons and McLaurys. Twenty-seven seconds later, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury were dead, Virgil and Morgan were severely wounded, and The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (where it really wasn’t) was hurled into the annals of Wild West folklore and history.

Some 400,000 tourists visit Tombstone each year, to see that legendary gunfight (and many others) reenacted. Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers are buried at Boot Hill, where you’ll also find Lester Moore’s witty epitaph (Here lies Lester Moore, Four Slugs from a .44, No Les, No More). Other highlights include The Bird Cage Theatre, Crystal Palace Saloon, and, for a law-and-order fix, the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park. Check out the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum while in town and hang your hat for a night at Curly Bill’s Bed and Breakfast.

From Tombstone, I head southwest on Arizona 82 to the bordertown of Nogales. It’s not so much outlaw country, but Texas Judge Roy Bean got his boots made here. Okay, not really, but the dean of Western bootmakers, Paul Bond (www.paulbondboots.com), did make boots for Paul Newman in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. He has also outfitted outlaws such as Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Clint Eastwood, and Sam Elliott and is still going strong after nearly 60 years in the business.

Now I’ll boot-scoot north on I-17 to Tucson.

Territorial capital from 1867-1877, Tucson has seen plenty of outlaws. Legend has it that Wyatt Earp’s vendetta began at the train depot here when he killed Frank Stilwell. Most outlaws, however, met their screen demise at Old Tucson Studios. Originally built for the 1940 Jean Arthur-William Holden movie Arizona, Old Tucson has served many Westerns. It was home base for the High Chaparral TV series as well as big-screen classics such as Winchester ’73, Last Train from Gun Hill, El Dorado and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. A 1995 fire destroyed much of the set, but Old Tucson Studios reopened in 1997. They don’t film as many Westerns as they used to, but the set remains a popular tourist draw.

So does La Fiesta de los Vaqueros Tucson Rodeo, an institution since 1925. Check out the rodeo museum and its great collection of old wagons, and don’t forget the Fort Lowell Museum, Sosa Carillo-Fremont House, or, for family Old West fun and dining, the Hidden Valley Inn. If you’re ready to cowboy up, Tanque Verde Ranch is one of Arizona’s most popular dude ranches.

After Tucson, I head over to Scottsdale and Phoenix. Scottsdale has grown from cowtown to art mecca, but there’s certainly a bit of the Old West left, especially during the annual Parada del Sol rodeo and “world’s longest rodeo parade.” National Festival of the West (www.festivalofthewest. com, March 16-19, 2006) is another world-class Old West celebration featuring movie stars, music stars, writers, artisans and, uh, outlaws. Keep in mind that the always-popular Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse (www.rawhide.com) which itself has been moved to Wild Horse Pass in the Gila River Indian Community, South of Phoenix.

What isn’t moving is the Pioneer Arizona Living History Village in north Phoenix. One of the West’s best living history museums, the village recreates territorial Arizona in the 1800s with 30 historic buildings, including a Prescott opera hall where Lily Langtry once performed, and reenactors portraying blacksmiths, carpenters, Victorian ladies, et al.

For many outlaws, the trail in Arizona headed west to the end of the line, so I’ll leave Phoenix for Yuma along dusty Interstate 8.

Eventually, the arm of the law caught up with those who rode the outlaw trail, and in Arizona, many became guests at the Territorial Prison. From 1876 until 1909, when the last remaining convicts were transferred to a new prison in Florence, Yuma housed 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women. Among Yuma’s most famous outlaw guests were Buckskin Frank Leslie, Pete Spence, and Pearl Hart. American Cowboy November/December 2005.

Hart and Joe Boot robbed the Globe stagecoach of $431 in 1898, but were caught three days later. Boot received a 35-year sentence. Hart, the first woman sent to Yuma, got only five. Today, Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park recreates what life was like for outlaws and prison guards. Looking at the granite cellblocks and chambers, with the heat intense, I can understand why Yuma earned the reputation of a hellhole, even though prisoners had regular medical attention, church services, schooling, and one of Arizona’s first “public” libraries.

Still, solitary confinement in a dark chamber remains intimidating, and the guard tower looks as ominous as the desert surrounding the Colorado River. As I walk through these grounds, I am reminded of a lesson many outlaws learned the hard way.

Crime doesn’t pay.

Santa Fe, N.M.-based Johnny D. Boggs has won the Western Heritage Wrangler and Spur awards for his Western fiction. His latest novels include Camp Ford and East of the Border.

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