The rape of Tombstone

[Allen]

Let me say right off this isn’t about knocking the US or its people, I have many American friends, been there many times and hope to go there again, in fact whatever the English equivalent of the US Anglophile is, well that’s me .. ‘smile’

I often hear Americans say they have no history, for no other reason it seems that the country can only go back just over 200 years whereas in the UK we go back a lot further, but its not true of course, history is now, yesterday is last week, last month, last year, history is history no matter how short or long a period of time we are talking about.

This brings me to my point, perhaps its this attitude to history that sees things in the US not being preserved they way they are here in the UK for example where we have castles, homes, building and yes ruins dating back 1000 years or more, and there still for the public to see and savour, .. whereas it seems the same attitude or preservation does not seem to apply in the US apart from a very few locations, Jamestown for example.

I first went to Tombstone in 1996 and found it to be a great place, full of atmosphere for me, a (grownup) kid with a love of all things western and there I was in one of its most legendary of places and in all truth it still bore some resemblance I suppose to the Tombstone of old, but in returning in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, what a change, what a shame
…… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ………

I know People have to make a living, I know people have to live, but for example if a similar town had existed in the UK more than likely the main historical thoroughfare, in this case Allen street, could well have been preserved as it was with the commerce side of things being off to the side and the history of the town preserved to a degree in that way, why I wonder was commerce, profit and trade allowed to take over from historical fact and preservation.

I suppose what sums it all up more than anything else for me and is a striking example of what I mean is Hatch’s saloon ..
.. in 1996 standing at the door and looking down the building, you could still relate it to an original picture that stood on the counter of the building, and I can demonstrate that with the pictures attached, but in 2004 when I went there again, what a difference; The mighty god commerce it seems had taken over and history was destroyed, there was very little to link the old and the new, and then in 2005 it was even worse and now it is all they can do to leave the two doors at the back of the original building which now has no back as such at all, but opens out onto a yard and also opens out into a larger store on the right where a hole has been put in that wall to make the store even larger .. I don’t have pictures of that as a comparison, I was too sick I think to take them, and you who live there, who have been there will know what I mean.

My dear American cousins, you do have a history and one worth preserving, only it seems you don’t maybe know how to best go about doing that .. imagine if Allen Street had been restored and preserved as it was, as it may have been if it had been a street in an historical town here in the UK, as we do here in the UK .. what a jewel it would have been, it would be,
what a striking example of Western history, instead of as we see it today, a commercial disaster more in keeping with a money making mall than a historical site.

[Steve Sanders]

Well put, Allen. There is hope, though. Tombstone has just received a federal historic preservation grant, which, among other things, narrows I80 to two lanes going through the town. Also the City Council has now closed 4-5th and Fremont-Toughnut Sts to through traffic. The new city council is very active and is actually "taking the town back." It is very encouraging. If you dont already read it, I recommend you Google "The Tombstone News" each week and follow the developments. Keep the faith!

[ChipProf]

Hear, hear, Allen.

[Christopher Zimmerman]

You've got a very good point Allen. I used to spend a lot of time in Lincoln, England back in the 80's and was amazed at how well preserved all the history was there from Roman times through the era of William the Conquerer and beyond. I wish we Americans had done a better job of preserving the history of Cochise County. Tombstone is actually one of the better attempts at preservation. At least they still have the Bird Cage. However, going to Fort Bowie, Charleston, Contention City, and the Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrante all you will find is a few adobe ruins. Probably the best maintained historic site in Cochise County is Fort Huachuca as it isn't as susceptible to commercial concerns.

[Steve Sanders]

I was there for the 125th anniversary and obviously that was a very important re-enactment. They did a great job of timing it almost to the minute. One disappointment, though, was the traffic on Hwy 80 (thanks for the correction) was noisy and detracted from the event. I was just outside the gate filming in and right in the middle of the scene you hear a police radio tapping out a fire call and then sirens screaming by. In an ideal world, for that important historical re-enactment, the powers-that-be would have allowed a 15 minute traffic stoppage and the scene could have spilled out onto Fremont, as it actually did. Maybe as they fine-tune and continue to improve the re-enactment that will be allowed to happen, at least occasionally (of course adding horses to the scenario skews the whole thing out) You make a very good point, Jennifer, about private property concerns

[Allen]

My thanks to all for your comments, all points are well taken and of course Im not looking at it all through rose colored glasses, there are other issues such as the need for commerce etc .. however commerce could still work in with the history instead of taking over it as often happens.

I realise too that with property being privately owned not a lot can be done if the owner has no sense of, or cares about the historical significance his property has, but here in the UK the Government and an organisation called 'English Heritage' have the power to 'List' buildings and sites etc that are of historical and national importance and once on that list, then that property cannot be altered significantly without permission, even if privately owned, often small grants go along with the listing to help with maintainence etc, .. perhaps a similar scheme may work in the US, there may be one, I dont know, but its an idea maybe.

[Christopher Zimmerman]

Allen we have something here called the State Historic Preservations Office which is probably similar to your English Heritage organization. Not sure how much power they have over private property. Their website is http://azstateparks.com/SHPO/index.html if people want to see how it works. I have worked with them on a long-running project to renovate some old horse barns on Fort Huachuca (a national historic site) so that the mounted ceremonial unit there can move in. The barns were built in about 1913 for the Buffalo soldiers and have historic value due to their age and unique design. The SHPO wants the exteriors to look as close to original as possible. The insides are another matter. One barn will be renovated and modified for horse stalls and another barn will be renovated for storage and for a display section that will recreate what the inside of the barns originally looked like. Hopefully, within a year I will have cavalry horses in them again and folks can come visit. Wish me luck.

[Gold Lady]

I'm afraid that I have to disagree that this whole country does not preserve its historical buildings. I'm originally from Delaware, and have lived in Philadelphia, and both have many buildings from the 1600's and 1700's. Philadelphia has more than 10,000 historic buildings on its Register, some of which are on cobblestone streets. Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, and many others have many old buildings.

I think the thing that preserved those buildings is that most were made of brick or stone. Here in the Southwest, buildings were usually made of wood or adobe, neither of which lasted very long without a lot of upkeep. Many miners lived in tents, not solid buildings. People in the west were more transient than those in the east. When the gold, silver, or copper played out, entire towns were abandoned. Fire devastated many towns with wooden buildings. So a fundamental difference in lifestyle has led to the deterioration of historic buildings here versus the eastern U.S.

Allen, we have the National Register of Historic Places, which is similar to your English Heritage, but inclusion is voluntary. If a homeowner takes a grant or loan through them, they must get approval by the government on any changes to the house. States and some towns also have historic preservation societies that limit what someone can do to the outside of a historic house. Generally they have no control on the inside, though.

[Allen]

Let me say right of, I apologise if I gave the impression I was of the opinion that no history is preserved in the US, of course it is, .. I have been there many times and seen many of the fine things there, I think more than anything my point is about over commercialisation where the need to 'make a buck' .. 'smile' (no offence meant).. seems to sometimes over ride everything else.

Your mention of the historic register reminds me that I have seen building etc with information on them denoting the fact, forgive me for that oversight, the rules here though are much stricter and often cover the inside of the building to as well as the land around it therefore ensuring a greater degree of protection, that being said, as you rightly say, with your system being voluntary there is not a lot that can be done if the owner is not interested in the historical side of things or preservation.

US history is a fascinating mix and goes back a very long way, longer than the 200 plus years, perhaps thats the key though, when I wonder do you consider your 'history' to have started .. with Independence ? or from before then ?

It would seem a new thinking is taking place in Tombstone, perhaps in the US overall too and that at the end of the day can only be a good thing surely.

[Joe Bethancourt]

As I explained to some Brit friends of mine last time I was there:

"Americans come to Europe because your history is also ours. We are quite aware that the history of the USA does not start at Plymouth Rock, but is merely a divergence from the history of Europe, Asia and Africa as a whole. So we come here to see where we came from."

Tombstone is NOT an historical site in the sense of European ones. It's a living town that has an historical district. I'd like to see that historical district better kept (if I had my way, I'd wave a magic wand and make it so that everything on Allen St that could be seen from the outside HAD to at least look authentic to the 1880s.)

But it's not Williamsburg. And it's not Disneyland either (thank God!)

[Allen]

Hello Joe, we have met but I dont know if you will remember me, Lindy introduced us .

Thats the point Im trying to make .. about preserving it I mean and I agree on the point of Allen Street, thats also what Im trying to say, wouldnt it just look fantastic if it was that way ??

Its not Disneyland as you say, and yes, very thankfully, but from the point of view of the (over) commercialisation of the area its not far off a mini version of it in a way, all thats missing are the rides I think .. ??

[Sam Ferguson aka Jack Swilling]

Tombstone's problems begin with the city officials and those who think they are so knowledgeable that they own or should run the town. Those who "rape" Tombstone to satisfy their own agendas.

I once had a "young lady" that worked for me whose father and brother were two of the top city officials at one time. The stories she told me were very sad indeed. Stories of a father and son who hated each others guts so much the town itself suffered.

Years ago I made my annual trek to Tombstone for Rendezvous Days, I got to know a few of the town notables. One day I got to see one such notable exercise his power(s) by telling the local law enforcement officers what to do, and what resulted was the arrest of a member of a re-enactment group that operated on the opposite end of the street from the OK Corral. I could not believe my ears or eyes, here I am in modern times and the "Old West" style of law manipulating was still taking place.

Personally I would like to see Allen Street blocked off restored and preserved. As for handicap parking, do they let handicap parking inside DISNEYLAND?

[Gold Lady]

We do preserve history back farther than 200 to 300 years. We have many Native American sites preserved here. Anasazi ruins are 700 to 1000 years old.

And yes, Tombstone would be much better if it were restored to historical accuracy. I haven't been there in about 5 years, but I understand what you mean about the commercialism. I always wondered, with all the tourists who visit every year, why the population of Tombstone has not grown much over the years.