Tombstone was the town “too tough to die”. It was a town where whiskey flowed like water and cost about as much. Blazing gunfights between vicious outlaws and virtuous lawmen were common, and lynchings were the answer to soft-hearted judges.

The unusual name of Tombstone was chosen by Ed Schieffelin, a non-drinking prospector. Army troops at Fort Huachuca warned him not to enter Apache country alone. They told him all he’d ever find was his own “tombstone”. He disregarded their advice in 1877 and became very wealthy after discovering the Tombstone and Graveyard claims.

The shootout at the OK Corral is Tombstone’s most famous event.

In the late 1800’s, Tombstone’s wealth attracted more than gamblers and gunslingers. It became a major stop for theatrical troupes, minstrel shows, magicians, musicians, and actors as they flocked to “silver-rich” Tombstone.

The oldest Protestant church in Arizona (built in 1882) is St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tombstone.