Not far to the southeast of Tucson, “the Town Too Tough To Die” was founded in 1877, turned into a boomtown by silver mining, and quickly became something of a bastion of the Wild West thanks to cattle rustlers, gamblers, and assorted outlaws. That set the stage for one of the West's best known tales, when lawman Wyatt Earp along with his brothers and their associate Doc Halliday came to town and had conflict with the local outlaws, which culminated in the infamous shooting at the OK Corral back in 1881.
Today you can see you can see this iconic gunfight re-enacted (including a 30-minute narration) along with various other aspects of the Wild West re-enacted. In the Bird Cage Theater, a little more than 120 bullet holes pay witness to this famous gunfight, and there are a number of artifacts from that era on display. Boothill Graveyard is another iconic local spot. On a rocky hill on the edge of town, this cemetery (named for the many gunslingers who died with their boots on) is home to a slew of tombstones inscribed not just with the name of the deceased and the date of death, but also sometimes why they died and the name of the outlaw or sherriff whom killed them).
Read more in Tripatini member Beni Restea's post Top Musts in Southern Arizona.
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