Roseann M.
Yelp
This is why we come to Tombstone, to visit the site of a legendary confrontation from 1881. Were it not for the notoriety of the men involved, this 30-second incident might've been confined to the footnotes of history. Instead, tourists from around the world, and from around the U.S. (like me), are drawn here.
The most surprising thing to me was, this place is small. The area in back where the shooting took place -- and now occupied by animatronic models that unexpectedly spring into mechanized life -- is not big. That does provide an insight into history, and a question: how is it that, with all the shooting going on at such close range, weren't more people killed? The Earps and Doc Holliday were wounded, while one Clanton and two McLaurys were shot to death.
Anyway. My Tucson-based cousin hadn't been here for twenty years. She was amazed that everything costs. She remembered that you had to pay for admission to the OK Corral, but additional costs for extra shows once you're inside? No. In the movie "Tombstone," Wyatt Earp and his brothers make it clear that they came to Tombstone to make money. They should've bought the OK Corral in their later years and charged admission. They missed a big money-making opportunity.
One exhibit here is a prostitute's "crib." It's a small building set up to show where prostitutes worked. It's just one room with a bed (naturally), a couple pieces of furniture, and not much else. So many women became prostitutes because the culture limited their opportunities to make a living doing much of anything else. It paid. To me, this was a heartbreaking testament to the lives of desperate women. Most people, from reading other reviews here, passed by it.
My cousin was taking a picture of me, leaning against a fence surrounding the actual site of the gunfight, when the figures of the shooters came to life. It was startling, and a little creepy.
We skipped the show that was going to be held later on sight.
You enter through a big gift shop that provides ample opportunity to throw away your money on items that will end up in your junk drawer. Save your cash, and take your family out to eat instead.
I'm really glad that we got to visit the OK Corral. It was definitely on my Arizona bucket list. Given the opportunity, though, I don't think I'd go again. Better to watch the Kurt Russell movie "Tombstone" once again.
