Tombstone Arizona

Tombstone Arizona Sharing true history of Tombstone, Arizona from primary resources, not fictionalized folklore. The largest Tombstone related page on social media.

The only Tombstone page dedicated to factual history and busting myths.

DID YOU KNOW....this iconic Val Kilmer line came directly from a Tombstone newspaper published less than 24 hours after ...
10/05/2026

DID YOU KNOW....this iconic Val Kilmer line came directly from a Tombstone newspaper published less than 24 hours after the gunfight. (Actual clipping from the original newspaper shown below.)

Do you think Val should have said the line word for word?

In 1881, 34 year old William Breckenridge (pictured) was sent to collect taxes in Cochise County under sheriff Johnny Be...
09/28/2026

In 1881, 34 year old William Breckenridge (pictured) was sent to collect taxes in Cochise County under sheriff Johnny Behan. While in the now nonexistent town of Gayleyville, he met up with notorious Curly Bill Brocious. 47 years later he wrote of his time with Curly in his autobiography "Helldorado: Bringing the Law to the Mesquite":

"I wanted to hire him to go with me as a deputy assessor and help me collect the taxes, as I was afraid I might be held up and my tax money taken from me if I went alone. The idea of asking the chief of all the cattle rustlers to help me collect taxes from them struck him as a good joke. He thought it over for a few moments and then laughing said 'Yes, and we will make everyone of those blank blank cow thieves pay his taxes.' Next day we started...Curly had many a hearty laugh about it. I never want to travel with a better companion that Curly... He was a remarkable shot with a pistol, and would hit a rabbit every time when it was running 30 or 40 yards away. I learned one thing about him, and that was that he would not lie to me. What he told me he believed, and his word to me was better than the oaths of some of whom were known as good citizens."

WHEN WYATT EARP RAN OUT OF PATIENCE...More than a decade after the gunfight near the OK Corral, Wyatt Earp (pictured) wa...
09/23/2026

WHEN WYATT EARP RAN OUT OF PATIENCE...

More than a decade after the gunfight near the OK Corral, Wyatt Earp (pictured) was deeply involved in major horse racing circuits. In 1893 his prized horse racked up a number a major wins from St. Louis to San Francisco bringing money and attention to the former fugitive lawman.

After a key victory in San Francisco he was confronted by a bookmaker who set weak odds assuring Wyatt wouldn't make much money. The bookmaker continuously harassed Wyatt about what he'd done until patience ran out. Right there at the public track Wyatt pummeled him in the face and kicked him mercilessly. As the local newspaper put it, "Wyatt Earp is not a man to be trifled with, and [the bookie] escaped as soon as he felt the grip on his collar loosened."

At 45 years old, Wyatt had not lost his nerve.

(Photograph: Wyatt Earp; Nome, Alaska from John Clum Papers, University of Arizona Special Collections)

The famous silver cup that Val Kilmer used in his portrayal of Doc Holliday sold for $119,700. This collapsible cup is ...
08/29/2026

The famous silver cup that Val Kilmer used in his portrayal of Doc Holliday sold for $119,700. This collapsible cup is one of two made for use in the movie, and was sold with a letter of provenance from the Assistant Property Master. Interestingly, Val had maintained that he kept one in his personal possession until his death in April 2025.

Head to the comments to see more detailed photographs, and tag a fellow Tombstone fan.

Wyatt Earp was not a celebrity when he arrived in Tombstone, Arizona. But he made an impression on John Clum – the town...
08/28/2026

Wyatt Earp was not a celebrity when he arrived in Tombstone, Arizona. But he made an impression on John Clum – the town's mayor and editor of the influential "Tombstone Epitaph" newspaper. Clum recalled meeting Wyatt 50 years later...

"Above six feet in height, well proportioned, erect, hair a bit long but neatly kept, a royal mustache, a broad hat and a frock coat - I still have a clear vision of that dignified figure walking calmly along Allen Street."

"Wyatt's manner, though friendly, suggested a quiet reserve. His facial features were strong, positive and pleasing. His habitual expression was serious, with a gracious smile when the occasion warranted it - but his mirth was never boisterous...as my own was apt to be. In fact, about the time I was elected mayor of Tombstone, Wyatt was quite my ideal of the strong, manly, serious and capable peace officer - equally unperturbed whether he was anticipating a meeting with a friend or a foe."

This rare original photograph shows the interior of the famed Crystal Palace Saloon, built in 1882. While the modern bar...
08/25/2026

This rare original photograph shows the interior of the famed Crystal Palace Saloon, built in 1882. While the modern bar itself is not the original, it's a masterful 1960s replica of the one seen here.

Head to the comments to see what the bar looked like before the replica was installed. Which bar do you prefer?

Virgil Earp's wife, Allie was the last living member of the family present during the gunfight near the OK Corral. Befo...
08/20/2026

Virgil Earp's wife, Allie was the last living member of the family present during the gunfight near the OK Corral. Before she died in 1947 she remembered a bitter but humorous Doc Holliday...

"Doc Holliday was Wyatt's favorite crony. He was tall and skinny, with blond hair, cold gray-blue eyes, and a pasty white face. I never could stand him and he didn't have any use for me neither. Wyatt kind of casually introduced him to us as a dentist. Right away I said, 'How'd you like to yank out a loose tooth of mine?' He gave me a nasty look and said, 'Keep your baby teeth in your mouth where they belong. I've got no use for them.' Wyatt roared like it was a big joke. Afterward when I found out what Doc really was, I had to admit it was a joke on me."

08/17/2026

Good evening LIVE from historic Tombstone.

Doc Holliday was born on this day in 1851 in Griffin, Georgia. Here are five facts about his life you probably didn't k...
08/14/2026

Doc Holliday was born on this day in 1851 in Griffin, Georgia. Here are five facts about his life you probably didn't know...

1) After leaving Tombstone, Doc was the President of a political group in Leadville, Colorado called the Lake County Independent Club. Among the 123 members was Johnny Tyler - Doc's famed nemesis personified in the movie "Tombstone".

2) Doc was a member of an anti-drinking organization in Dallas, Texas. Imagine Doc fighting to keep people from drinking.

3) Doc never practiced dentistry in Tombstone, Arizona, but he still declared himself a dentist in the county voting registry just days after the "OK Corral" gunfight.

4) At a young age, Doc's hair turned gray. Among many descriptions that agree, one journalist who met him in 1882 noted "his iron gray hair is always well combed and oiled... and he always prides himself on keeping scrupulously neat and clean.”

5) For the last two weeks of his life, Doc was in and out of a coma. For the last 24 hours, he did not speak, and he died nearly penniless among strangers attending to him in Hotel Glenwood in Colorado. His burial was paid for by a group of locals.

07/29/2026

This is what Tombstone and the real people looked like when Wyatt Earp walked the streets in spring of 1880. How does this compare to the movies? No lingerie style women’s clothing portrayed today, or ri**es slung over men’s shoulders. Would you go back in time to visit?

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