Before Ed Schieffelin discovered silver in present day Tombstone, hostile Apache Indians roamed the vicinity.  Ed was often teased by his Army scout buddies that if he kept roaming those hills all he would find was his Tombstone.  They were right!  He named one of his first mines “Tombstone” and later the town too.

This mining boomtown sat atop one of the most productive mining areas in the Southwest.  Tombstone’s mines peaked from mid 1879 to late 1882, and during this pinnacle, the mines produced, on average, over five million dollars annually in silver and gold.  The larger mining companies paid an average of six hundred thousand dollars in dividends annually.

In addition to the breweries, wine rooms, saloons, and dance houses, there were other types of entertainment available for hard-working men.  The sources of entertainment covered the spectrum from sophisticated theater programs, to rough and rowdy cockfights, and everything in between.  Tombstone’s number of saloons reflected the town’s boom.  When it first “hit” in mid 1880, there were about twenty-six saloons and breweries.  By July of the following year, the number of saloons in Tombstone had doubled.   

Tombstone saloonkeepers entertained their customers with classical music, or tunes played by Tombstone’s brass band, or an Italian string ensemble.  Even though these saloons were more or less respectable, Tombstone’s society women did not go into them because no respectable woman dared enter a saloon — it was just not proper.  Not to mention that men did not want them there; this was a place where they could seek solace among their brethren.  Alcohol and music aside, Tombstone’s saloons drew crowds because of the gambling. 

Gambling concessions and cigar stands were nestled in the saloons, and were often run by someone other than the saloon owners.  Most had a separate section for gambling, usually in the back.  However, the reader should not envision that old Hollywood image of a secluded, smoke-filled room where a bunch of desperadoes were ready to kill one another over a hand of cards.  It is true a gambler could get shot over a game of cards, but only if he were caught cheating.  The most popular saloon games of the time were faro, Monte, and poker, but others offered keno, roulette, and twenty-one.             

Tombstone’s glory days lasted until about 1887, even though mining had all but ceased in 1886.  Hopeful investors tried to mine Tombstone once more in the 1890s and early 1900s, but their efforts eventually failed.

Before being “discovered” by U.S. explorer, Zebulon Pike in 1806, Pikes Peak, Colorado was home to a variety of different cultures, including Native Americans and Mexicans, along with French and Spanish explorers.