Good Morning Arizona!
We
woke to a beautiful sunrise yesterday morning so thought I’d share with you. These mountains that we see to the east of us
are the Santa Rita Mountains. There are
roads up to the Whipple Observatory which is on the tallest peak. During the summer months tours are available
but this time of year they shut down due to road conditions
A sign hung in this court yard that said “During the hanging, in respect
for the condemned, no cat calls, spitting loud farting or belching. By order of Marshall W. Earp, Tombstone
Arizona Territory.”
We went to
Tombstone last week and really had a good time.
Our friends Jim and Helene went with us…we’re so happy that they will be
coming back to Green Valley next year so we can experience more adventures
together! Tombstone was just what was
expected…cowboys, history and very interesting stories. Tombstone was founded in 1877 by a prospector
named Ed Schieffelin. Ed was staying at what was then called Camp
Huachuca (wa-chu-ka) as part of a scouting expedition against the Chiricahua
(chir-i-cow-uh) Apaches. During his time there he would venture out
into the wilderness "looking for rocks", all the while ignoring the
warnings he received from the soldiers at the camp. They would tell
him, "Ed, the only stone you will find out there will be your tombstone".
Well, Ed did find his stone. And it was Silver.
So, remembering the words of warning from the soldiers, he named
his first mine The Tombstone. In the
following years a town grew up near Ed’s mine and that town was called
Tombstone.
By the mid 1880's Tombstone's population had
increased to around 7,500. This figure counted only the white male registered
voters that were over 21 years of age. If you take into account the women,
children, Chinese, Mexicans and the many "ladies of the evening" the
estimates are that the population was between 15,000 and 20,000 people. There
were over one hundred saloons (Doc Holiday’s girlfriend, Big Nose Kate operated
one of these saloons), numerous restaurants, a large red-light district, an
even larger Chinese population, schools, churches, and newspapers. This fast growing town was believably a violent
place with cowboys and miners settling their disputes with gunfights in the
streets. Doc Holiday, Wyatt, Virgil and
Morgan Earp came to the town’s rescue and finally brought a semblance of peace to
the streets after the famed Gunfight at the OK Corral. Today there are approximately 1500 permanent
residents.
The Boothill Graveyard is an interesting place to visit. Most of the inhabitants were buried there in the early 1880’s when the town was wild, but there are a few more recent graves. The headstones tell their own stories.
On Sunday, Tom, Oso and I drove out into the
desert. What was expected to be a few
hours turned into an all-day drive but it was a good day. Interesting to see signs like this while
driving the back-roads. We drove up into
the Coronado National Forest on Ruby Road and turned off into Warsaw
Canyon. There were old mine sites along
the way and lots and lots of washes and Border Patrol vehicles on the roads…we
must have seen 25 Border Patrol trucks over the course of the day. Must be quite an interesting job driving
through these areas looking for illegals from Mexico travelling through.
The desert flowers are starting to show their faces. I’ve only seen one cactus in bloom. It’s called an “Owl’s Eye” and the tiny little flowers are so sweet. There is a prickly pear here in the RV Park with nice big buds and I’m hoping it will bloom before we leave.
We
woke to a beautiful sunrise yesterday morning so thought I’d share with you. These mountains that we see to the east of us
are the Santa Rita Mountains. There are
roads up to the Whipple Observatory which is on the tallest peak. During the summer months tours are available
but this time of year they shut down due to road conditions
Look who’s in jail
again!!! And there’s the hangman’s noose waiting for these two scoundrels! This time the story goes that they were
caught in the Tombstone Museum riding on some of the displays. They tried to talk their way out of it but
apparently there was photographic evidence… that’s what happens when you let
your husband hold the camera for you! 
A sign hung in this court yard that said “During the hanging, in respect
for the condemned, no cat calls, spitting loud farting or belching. By order of Marshall W. Earp, Tombstone
Arizona Territory.”We went to
Tombstone last week and really had a good time.
Our friends Jim and Helene went with us…we’re so happy that they will be
coming back to Green Valley next year so we can experience more adventures
together! Tombstone was just what was
expected…cowboys, history and very interesting stories. Tombstone was founded in 1877 by a prospector
named Ed Schieffelin. Ed was staying at what was then called Camp
Huachuca (wa-chu-ka) as part of a scouting expedition against the Chiricahua
(chir-i-cow-uh) Apaches. During his time there he would venture out
into the wilderness "looking for rocks", all the while ignoring the
warnings he received from the soldiers at the camp. They would tell
him, "Ed, the only stone you will find out there will be your tombstone".
Well, Ed did find his stone. And it was Silver.
So, remembering the words of warning from the soldiers, he named
his first mine The Tombstone. In the
following years a town grew up near Ed’s mine and that town was called
Tombstone.By the mid 1880's Tombstone's population had
increased to around 7,500. This figure counted only the white male registered
voters that were over 21 years of age. If you take into account the women,
children, Chinese, Mexicans and the many "ladies of the evening" the
estimates are that the population was between 15,000 and 20,000 people. There
were over one hundred saloons (Doc Holiday’s girlfriend, Big Nose Kate operated
one of these saloons), numerous restaurants, a large red-light district, an
even larger Chinese population, schools, churches, and newspapers. This fast growing town was believably a violent
place with cowboys and miners settling their disputes with gunfights in the
streets. Doc Holiday, Wyatt, Virgil and
Morgan Earp came to the town’s rescue and finally brought a semblance of peace to
the streets after the famed Gunfight at the OK Corral. Today there are approximately 1500 permanent
residents.The Boothill Graveyard is an interesting place to visit. Most of the inhabitants were buried there in the early 1880’s when the town was wild, but there are a few more recent graves. The headstones tell their own stories.
These headstones have been replaced in the past hundred and some years
but the sayings on them are original. I
hope if the day ever comes when I have a headstone, mine will say: Here lies Corrine, a true fruitloop in a bowl
of cheerios!
Helene and I watched the re-enactment of the gunfight at the OK Corral
while the boys wandered the streets. Later we found this colourful guys singing and dancing on the street...kind of reminded me of Nelson! It
was a fun and interesting day!
The desert flowers are starting to show their faces. I’ve only seen one cactus in bloom. It’s called an “Owl’s Eye” and the tiny little flowers are so sweet. There is a prickly pear here in the RV Park with nice big buds and I’m hoping it will bloom before we leave.
Oso really enjoyed getting out in the wild. He is good off-leash and doesn’t stray too
far, though he does tend to be a little bit snoopy. I’m glad the rattlesnakes and scorpions are
sleeping right now or he might get himself in a bit of trouble!
On Fat Tuesday we had a little get-together in the RV Park. Everyone made Mardi Gras masks or hats and
the contest results are in… Tom won first prize and I won second! Ha, ha…it was fun checking out everyone’s
creations and sharing this fun time with good friends.
