Tombstone

I asked this fellow if his horses were Percherons?  And he sat right up in his seat and pushed his chest outward...saying "Why yes they are!!"

They were the most docile well mannered fellows, almost wanting you to hug them... and their hair was as soft and fluffy as Biscuit's fur...

They're really big animals and pulled this stage like it was made from feathers....  The horse on the curb side in front of the driver seemed to be the leader while the other took his cues from the first...  The driver asked me how I knew about Percherons but I could only explain that I was from Iowa and was familiar with the breed...  He said most folks wanted to know if they were Clydesdales.  Well no, not when they are all white... and these are too small for that too...

But we were in Tombstone looking all around in the stores, because our friends from Iowa had never been there...

Over on the other side of the street is Big Nose Kate's bar, and our friends were hungry....  And since we usually go there because the food is about average, which is good for this town, we jay walked right behind those horses...

This bar is the original one from the 1800s... But we noticed a touch screen cash register over on the back side right next to the mirror... Nice touch of old vs the very new...

 Had live music too...  They played all the 20 year old cowboy favorites like ex's live in Texas..  After lunch it was time to wander the town...

 I've never eaten in here, so I can't vouch if it is good or not... But we were looking for salads and light stuff, so this seemed more like steaks and potatoes.....

Loyce took Biscuit into the Crystal Palace to look around...  I wonder what they thought of that....?  But she said they didn't say a thing...

Along with being an Antique store, I am told there are 4 Hotel rooms upstairs in this place...

 At the very South end of the street is the Bird Cage Theatre... This is the only original untouched building in the town...  Today it is a museum of the times of 1880s....

This old fellow was explaining what had taken place in this theatre in the days back then...  It is named the Bird Cage, because the hall is lined with 14 balcony boxes that had curtains which could be drawn..  Where the ladies of the evening plied their trade.....

Historic American Building plaque.

This was all while the show was going on, on the stage below...  The bar that the fellow is leaning on in the picture is the original from that time....

He was pointing out bullet holes in the walls and talking about the ladies....

There are gambling rooms in the basement that are accessed from behind the stage....  It is said that the poker game went on continuously for 8 years....

This place is supposed to be haunted.... with sounds of the party going on late at night....... and other apparitions... It costs $10 to go back into the old theatre part of the building and then down stairs....  But this place makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, and I have never had the nerve to pay the entrance fee....   Birdcage history..  It is very much so for real....

We drove on down to Bisbee after the Tombstone visit just to look around as the day was getting on...  And then once back in Tombstone went to the cemetery as the day was waning..  Again kind of eerie in the long shadows, standing in front of the graves of the Clanton's and McLaury's... It all seems kind of surreal, but its not...

We didn't get back home until way late at night as we also went to supper with our friends...  Then we had about a two hour drive back up to East Mesa..  So last night's blog was sacrificed.......

Retired Rod