By Johnnie Alexander
I live in Oklahoma now, and I once lived a few years in Nebraska. But most of my life has been spent east of the Mississippi River.
For me, the legendary town of Tombstone, Arizona—the location of the legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral involving Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers—seemed exactly that. A legend.
Some of the participants were Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Diamond Jim Brady, George Hearst, and Adolphus Busch of the Busch Brewery” [Bird Cage Theater website].
The historic Cochise County Courthouse, constructed in 1882, has been preserved and is now part of the Tombstone Courthouse State Park. It’s also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Meet William Cornell Greene (August 26, 1852 - August 5, 1911), who hailed from Duck Creek, Wisconsin, discovered rich copper reserves in Cananea, Mexico. He founded the Greene Consolidated Copper Company and, by 1905, was one of the wealthiest businessmen in the world.
The fight took place in 1887 when Greene built a small dam. A neighbor, James Burnett, blew up Greene's dam with dynamite and built a dam of his own.
The next day Greene's two daughters and a friend went to their favorite swimming hole, but the blast had transformed the shallow pool into a deep hole with a strong current.
Tragically, one daughter and her friend drowned.
Greene found Burnett on a street near the O.K. Corral and killed him with a revolver. Immediately afterward, Greene turned himself in to Sheriff Scott White. He claimed self-defense and was acquitted.
In later years, Greene became a successful rancher—so successful that Pancho Villa stole his horses more than once.
His ranch, which has been designated a National Historic District, was selected as a filming location for the musical Oklahoma! starring Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae.
When I visited Tombstone a second time, all my grands were along for the trip.
Fascinating! We were unable to get to Tombstone during our trip to Arizona, so this virtual visit is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I love the picture of your grandchildren!
ReplyDeleteEnthralling, Johnnie. I've been to Tombstone, but not for about 6 decades. It's become quite a bit nicer, it appears. I'm glad to see the preservation.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I did not know any of that about Greene.
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