In southern Arizona, next to Route 80, there is a mileage sign that lists Tombstone, Bisbee and Douglas. It was my travel list to see the Wild West.
I initially thought Tombstone was a tourist trap. On its popular and historic Allen Street there are reenactments of gunfights, horse-drawn carriage rides, costumed time travelers, souvenir shops and false-front buildings that feature 1880s architecture.
In its heyday, Tombstone was a dangerous city. There were spur-of-the-moment gun fights, out-of-town silver-seeking miners with criminal backgrounds, and women desperate for work who landed in risky brothels. You can’t romanticize the old Wild West.
Digger D. O’Dell, the tour guide of the amazing Tombstone: Adults-Only Walking Tour, doesn’t sugarcoat Tombstone’s dark history.
“It’s adults-