TTR Tombstone History Discussion Board

This September, Nancy Sosa, Bob Palmquist, and I hope to present a panel at the New Mexico-Arizona History Convention entitled "What Made Tombstone "the Town Too Tough to Die'?" In preparation, I'd like to pose this question for Tombstone historians who'd like to dive in: What are the "gaps" in Tombstone's history before 1929--that is, meaningful topics that are unexplored or under-researched? Gil Storms

The "too tough to die" concept of Tombstone's history is undeniably highlighted by the near economic fallouts as mining, local ranching, offices of the county seat, railroad infrastructure, etc ebbed and flowed. The drama of a town that nearly collapsed and yet somehow survived long enough for pop culture to convert its economy over to tourism is nothing short of sensational.

Best of luck to you all at the convention.

Thanks, Mike. Personally, in researching, I'm finding the efforts of E. B. Gage, Wlliam F. Staunton, and Frank Murphy to create the Tombstone Consolidated Mining Company and start a second Tombstone silver mining boom in the early 1900s, only to have it collapse in 1910, every bit as complex and interesting as the gunfights and quarrels of 20 years before. Same for Tombstone's struggles through the pre-WWI and war years as the town found its way toward an economy based on something besides mining and ranching. There are some great stories there and some good foundational research. If anyone is doing research currently, it would be good to hear from you.