Tombstone Historic District

10/01/2026

History still has an address in Tombstone. 🏠📜

At the corner of Fifth and Toughnut Streets stands the Russ House, a surviving piece of Tombstone’s early history.

This original Tombstone directory entry gives us something especially valuable, a period record connecting Nellie Cashman to the Russ House and to this very location.

Today, the building remains part of Tombstone’s historic streetscape, a physical connection between the community we see today and the people who lived and worked here more than a century ago.

Take a look at the original post below for the Russ House story and the fascinating directory entry. 👇

📜 A Glimpse Back at the Russ House

October 1881 was an extraordinary time in Tombstone. While many of the events that would eventually make the town famous were unfolding, everyday life continued. Businesses opened their doors, travelers arrived, rooms were rented, and meals were served.

And Nellie Cashman was part of that story right here at the Russ House❤️

Historical research places Nellie Cashman and Joseph Pascholy at the Russ House in the fall of 1881 and records a large dinner being served here in early October, featuring an extensive menu.

But we especially love finding the original records that allow us to see Tombstone through the eyes of the people who were actually here.

📖 The historic Tombstone Directory shown with this post provides wonderful documentary evidence of Nellie’s connection to the Russ House. On page 124, the original directory lists:

“Russ House Hotel, Nellie Cashman and Mrs. Cunningham, proprietors; cor. Fifth and Toughnut streets. Travelers’ and Miners’ boarding house. Board and lodging by the day week or month.”

Cashman would become one of the most remarkable women associated with the American West, known not only as a businesswoman and restaurateur, but also for her generosity and willingness to help others.

More than a century later, the Russ House still stands at Fifth and Toughnut Streets, giving visitors to Tombstone a tangible connection to Nellie Cashman and the people who lived, worked and traveled through this legendary mining town.

Sometimes the most interesting history isn’t a gunfight or a famous confrontation. Sometimes it’s a few lines in an old directory that remind us real people lived their everyday lives right here 🏠

Sources:
📜 McKenney’s Business Directory, Tombstone Directory, p. 124, digitized by the Arizona Memory Project.
📜 Tombstone Restoration Commission historical research, Russ House/Nellie Cashman.

Image: Original Tombstone Directory, p. 124, courtesy of the Arizona Memory Project.

09/15/2026

📌 September 15, 1881 - Schieffelin Hall

On September 15, 1881, Schieffelin Hall hosted a major theatrical production of Tom Taylor’s “The Ticket-of-Leave Man”, performed by Tombstone’s Dramatic Relief Association 🎭

🚒💨 The evening was more than entertainment. Proceeds helped support Tombstone’s Rescue Hook and Ladder Company, including efforts to obtain a fire alarm bell 🔔

Built in 1881, Schieffelin Hall quickly became one of Tombstone’s important civic and cultural gathering places, hosting theatrical performances, dances, meetings, and community events.

More than 140 years later, Schieffelin Hall still stands within the Tombstone Historic District, preserving a direct connection to the people, events, and everyday life of early Tombstone.

📷 The photograph shown is believed to be among the oldest surviving images of Schieffelin Hall, dating to about 1882.

Research by the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce

#1881

09/11/2026

🇺🇸 25 Years Later—We Remember

As the sun rises on another September 11, we pause to remember the lives lost, the families forever changed and the heroes whose courage inspired a nation.

The folded flag reminds us of sacrifice. The white rose symbolizes remembrance. The beams of light remind us that even in our darkest moments, hope continues to shine.

Twenty-five years later, their memories remain in our hearts.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget.

09/09/2026

🤠 There’s no place quite like Tombstone, Arizona—where the spirit of the Old West still lives!

Stroll the historic streets, enjoy delicious local dining, discover unique shops, stay awhile and experience the legends, history and excitement of “The Town Too Tough to Die.”

🍽️ Eat
🏨 Stay
🎉 Play
🛍️ Shop
🌵 Experience Tombstone!

Plan your visit today at www.tombstonechamber.com

This page is managed by the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce

08/13/2026

🏛️ LOOK FOR THE MARKERS…

As you explore Tombstone’s Historic District, you’ve probably passed a few of these. But have you ever stopped to read them?

The Tombstone Restoration Commission placed historic plaque markers throughout Tombstone to help tell the stories connected to the buildings, streets and locations around you.

And there are a lot more than you might realize.

Some tell the history of familiar landmarks like Schieffelin Hall and Tombstone City Hall. Others lead you to stories you may never have heard, including Tombstone’s early fire companies, former businesses, mining history and the “Million Dollar Stope.”

⁉️ Want to turn them into your own walking tour⁉️🚶

The Tombstone Restoration Commission also created a Historic Locations walking tour book, available for purchase at the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce and various locations around town. Grab a copy, follow along and see how many historic locations you can find.

Sometimes the best way to experience Tombstone is simply to slow down, look around and discover what’s been right in front of you all along🤠⚒️⚖️

08/07/2026

Step into the Old West with a bucket list trip to Tombstone, Arizona.

Walk the historic streets, soak up frontier stories, enjoy local food, and find a comfortable place to stay in this unforgettable town. Whether you're planning a weekend escape or a longer adventure, Tombstone gives you plenty of ways to eat, stay, and play. Ready to make Historic Tombstone your next getaway?

https://tombstonechamber.com/

08/03/2026

🤠 Did You Know? Fremont Street Has Been a Main Route Through Tombstone Since the Silver Boom!

Most visitors head straight for Allen Street, but Fremont Street has a remarkable history of its own.

Named in honor of John C. Frémont, Arizona’s fifth territorial governor, as well as an explorer, soldier, and politician, Fremont Street became one of Tombstone’s principal east-west thoroughfares during the silver boom. It connected homes, businesses, neighborhoods, and important public buildings as the young mining town rapidly expanded.

📍 Decades later, Fremont Street became part of U.S. Highway 80, one of America’s early transcontinental highways. Travelers crossing the Southwest drove directly through Tombstone along Fremont Street. Today, Fremont Street is the local name for Arizona State Route 80 as it passes through town.

Fremont Street is also home to several important historic landmarks, including Schieffelin Hall, built in 1881, and the 1882 Tombstone City Hall, which housed both city government and the fire department. The historic photograph shown here captures Tombstone’s volunteer firefighters assembled along Fremont Street in 1883, surrounded by buildings that once stood near City Hall.

Since Tombstone’s earliest days, Fremont Street has carried miners, residents, wagons, automobiles, and generations of travelers through town. It remains one of the Historic District’s most important corridors, connecting Tombstone’s silver-boom past with the present⚒️🚒💨



📷 Tombstone Volunteer Fire Department assembled on Fremont Street, 1883. Courtesy of the Arizona Memory Project.

07/20/2026

Following up on our walk down Allen Street, today we are exploring the story behind Tombstone’s next famous strip: Toughnut Street. So where did that name come from? So where did that name come from🧐

⚒️ Toughnut Street was named after the
Tough Nut Mine, one of the richest silver mines in the Tombstone Mining District. The mine earned its memorable name from Tombstone’s legendary founder, Ed Schieffelin, and his partners. According to local legend, when they first struck the claim, they found the silver mixed into stubborn, fragmented rock formations that proved to be an incredibly complex geological puzzle to trace and extract. The name stuck, and before long, so did the street.

As Tombstone boomed in the early 1880s, Toughnut Street became one of the town’s principal east-west streets. It connected mines, businesses, homes, and everyday life, carrying miners on their way to work, merchants delivering goods, and residents going about their daily routines.

⚒️Here’s a little-known piece of Tombstone history. The mines didn’t just surround the town, they extended beneath it. At one point, a section of Toughnut Street collapsed into an underground mine stope, sending a horse and wagon nearly 75 feet below the surface. Fortunately, both the horse and driver survived the accident.

📍This wild event occurred at 1:00 p.m. on April 21, 1907, when the "Good Enough" mine stope caved in near 5th and Toughnut Street. The massive crater left behind became known as the "Million Dollar Stope," and you can still read all about it on Tombstone Restoration Commission Historical Marker #37 right on Toughnut Street today!

🔨🪏Today, as you walk along Toughnut Street, you’re following a path that helped build one of the most famous silver mining towns in the American West.

🤠 History isn’t just found in museums. Sometimes it’s written right on the street signs.

07/14/2026

More Than a Name: Every Tombstone visitor knows Allen Street🤠

But have you ever wondered who Allen was?

Allen Street is named for John Brackett “Pie” Allen, one of Arizona Territory’s earliest and most respected pioneers. Although he came west hoping to find gold, he earned the nickname “Pie” Allen by baking and selling pies to settlers and soldiers around Tucson.

His success in business led to a life of public service. Allen served three terms in the Arizona Territorial Legislature, two terms as Mayor of Tucson, and later as Arizona Territorial Treasurer.

When Tombstone’s streets were laid out during the silver boom, his name was chosen for what would become the town’s most famous street.

Today, visitors from around the world walk Allen Street every day, often without realizing they’re following a path named for one of Arizona’s earliest civic leaders.

📍History isn’t found only in the buildings. Sometimes it’s written right on the street signs.

07/11/2026

Have you walked where history happened? 🚶🤠

Every boardwalk and storefront in Tombstones Historic District has witnessed more than a century of Arizona history.

In the early days, these streets were busy with miners coming in from the claims, shopkeepers building their businesses, stagecoaches delivering passengers and mail, and families trying to make a home in a fast-growing town. Today, people still come from around the world to walk the same streets and experience a piece of the frontier for themselves.

It’s easy to come for the famous stories.

But take your time.

Look up at the historic buildings and down at the Tombstone Restoration Commission history plaques.

Imagine the sounds of horses, wagons, and bustling businesses. Picture the excitement of a town growing almost overnight during the silver boom.

Tombstone isn’t just a place to visit.

It’s a place to experience the spirit of the American frontier.

🇺🇸 Every step tells another chapter of Tombstone’s remarkable story.