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Tombstone Businesses

Introduction

Vintage black and white photograph of a dusty main street in an old western town. Wooden buildings line both sides of the wide, unpaved road. Visible business signs include 'Restaurant' and 'McAlister'. A lone figure in dark clothing stands on the right side of the street. The scene depicts a sparsely populated frontier settlement from the late 19th century.

From its founding in 1879 until the spring of 1882, Tombstone was a rapidly growing boomtown that aggregated thousands of people worldwide. Most of those folks were decent, hard-working people looking for a better life, but naturally, there were also a few scoundrels. During those early days, there was a severe land scandal that cheated a lot of everyday folks out of their money. There were also occasional fights between groups like the Earps and the cowboys. However, by the late spring of 1882, the Earps had left town, and the cowboys were all but wiped out; then, Tombstone settled into a wholesome place to raise a family.

Listing

In 1885, Tombstone had fine dining, world-class entertainment, a horse racetrack, a baseball park, and a public swimming pool. Prominent buildings included the Cochise County Courthouse, the Tombstone City Hall, and the Schieffelin Hall Opera House. The following businesses were listed in the 1883-1884 Tombstone Business Directory.

  • Attorneys: 22
  • Banks: Hudson & Co (5th bet Allen/Fremont), Cochise County Bank (4th/Allen)
  • Healthcare: 8 doctors, 2 dentists, 1 hospital (Tombstone Hospital, 715 Fremont), 3 drug stores
  • Hotels: 6 (Brown, Cosmopolitan, Grand, LeVan, Occidental, Russ House)
  • Ice houses: 2 (Tombstone and Charleston Ice Co, Tombstone Ice Works)
  • Livery Stables/Corrals: 7 (Arizona, Dexter, Lexington, O. K., Pioneer, Tombstone, West End)
  • Lodging Houses: 10 (American, Cochise, Fourth St Lodging, Palace, San Francisco, San Jose, Smith's, Sullivan, Sunnyside, Way Up)
  • Newspapers: 2 (Epitaph, Republican)
  • Restaurants/Chop Houses: 13 (American, Boss, Brooklyn, California, Can Can, Dining Room, Grand, Gregory's, International, Maison Doree, Melrose, New York, Occidental, Pacific)
  • Saloons: 20 (Arcade, Arizona, Boca, Capital, Comet, Crystal Palace, Delta, Dragoon, Elite, Fountain, Hafford’s, Headquarters, Little Chief, Music Hall, Opera, Oriental, Pony, Queen’s, Senate, Wine House) Note, the business directory would have only listed the major saloons but there were likely other smaller saloons.
  • Services: 8 barbers, 8 blacksmiths, 16 dressmakers, 2 gunsmiths, 5 jewelers/watchmakers, 17 laundries, 5 tailors, 4 wagon makers
  • Stores: 3 bakeries, 8 boot/shoe, 8 cigar/tobacco, 3 clothing, 2 fruit dealers, 3 furniture, 7 general merchandise, 9 grocery, 1 ice cream/candy, 2 stationer/news, 3 saddle/harness
  • Theaters: Crystal Palace, Palace, Schieffelin Hall

Location

The movies about Tombstone emphasize a 30-second gunfight since that was very dramatic, but that gunfight does not represent the town's history very well. On your next visit to Tombstone, look beyond the gunfights to discover how the ordinary folks worked and lived.