Don’t Take Your Guns To Town Son
As I am sitting here thinking about getting ready for the gunfights down in Tombstone this weekend it occurs to me that I have not yet posted anything regarding the ongoing war being waged in there between the Allen Street merchants and the off Allen Street merchants (and *trust* me there is a *lot* to say about it). The issue , simplified and in a nutshell, is that the Allen Street merchants don’t want the off Allen Street merchants passing out handbills on Allen Street in an attempt to draw tourists to their locations. As I said this is a simplified explanation of what is actually going on with this issue in Tombstone right now and, as I’m sure you can imagine, there is more going on than meets the eye.
In order to give you enough information so that you can understand the story that I am about to relate I’ll need to give you a little bit more background. Suffice it to say for now that the tensions between the two groups have risen to such heights that the mayor, the city council and the Marshall’s office are all involved in the dispute and the lengths that citizens on all sides of the disagreement have been willing to go to are in some cases nothing less than amazing.
Help! Help! My Business Has Fallen and it Can’t Get Up!!!
For instance several weeks ago, as reported in the January 30th edition of the Tombstone News, Sylvia Prysant, the owner of an off Allen Street establishment known as the Tombstone Boarding House & Lamplight Room, allegedly dialed 911 and requested that the dispatcher send over a Deputy because she was dying a slow death.
She later, as reported in the February 13th edition of the Tombstone Epitaph stated that she had dialed the Marshall’s office, not 911, from her cellphone and asked for Marshall Larry Talvy as she wanted to document a dying business. Last I was aware Marshall Talvy had stated he was waiting to review the tape of the call to "get better facts".
While there is still as far as I am aware some confusion over which number she actually dialed (of course Tombstone is the kind of small town where you wold not be surprised if dialing 911 got you a payphone out in front of the local laws office - but I digress 
) there is no doubt that the Tombstone EMT’s were dispatched to the Lamplight when the call was placed.
That’s right the local volunteer paramedics were rousted from their warm beds to rush over and provide emergency medical services - to a dying business!. The call was placed in the evening so the volunteers had to leave their homes to go to the Lamplight only to find out there was in fact no one in dire need of medical attention. When they got there they were told they were not needed and so they left. Each of the volunteer fire fighter/EMT’s that responded were said to have received their standard $10 for going out on the call.
In Sylvia’s defense I can understand her plight. Without advertising on Allen Street probably 80% of the Tourists would never even know that most of the off Allen Street businesses existed. This is because, sadly, most tourists blow into town, see the three blocks of shops selling tee-shirts and shot glasses that make up most of the Allen Street downtown historic district, maybe grab a bite to eat or see a show and then head home or over to Bisbey. It still amazes me to this day how many folks make the long drive to Tombstone and only stay a few hours. (It really speaks volumes as to how poor a job the town is doing to promote itself…)
Whether or not calling 911 (or even if it *was* just the Marshall’s office) in the evening to report a "dying business" was a bright idea on the part of Mrs Prysant I leave up to you to decide for yourself. One thing is for sure though and that is if she was trying to make a point she sure got it heard.
That is just one of many sad but also strangely amusing tales of the skirmishes in the ongoing battle between the on and off Allen Street merchants in good ‘ol Tombstone Arizona.
If it Walks Like a Dog and It Talks Like a Dog…
On another occasion one of the Gunfighters I work with at Six Gun City, Toto, was cited and had to go to court for "barking like a dog". The barking was allegedly directed towards Steve Goldstein, the owner of Big Nose Kate’s and one of the main players in the current war between the on and off Allen Street merchants. I never really asked him why he did it but my guess is that it was social commentary on the ongoing battle between Goldstein and Mike Carrafa who owns Six Gun City where I work.
Six Gun City is technically an off Allen Street venue even though the building that Spur Western Wear is in as well as the empty one next to it (both of which buildings are owned by the owners of Six Gun City) are both on Allen Street so, *technically*, one could argue that Six Gun City is on Allen Street. Big Nose Kate’s is smack dab in the middle of Allen Street and Goldstein does not like all the Six Gun City barkers that pass out fliers and bark, on Allen Street, to advertise for the restaurant and gunfight shows there as he feels Six Gun City is taking business away from his venue.
(Get it? Barkers - barking like a dog?)
As an aside, Toto is the manager of the gunfighters and the show at Six Gun City though a recent article in the Tombstone Epitaph a few weeks back reported that he was the manager of Six Gun City. Honestly, with as much misinformation as I consistently see printed in that paper, if it has always been like that (and since not much seems to have really changed in Tombstone in the past 125+ years I’m guessing so) it is no wonder no one knows for sure exactly what happened back on October 26th 1881 when the gunfight at the OK Corral happened.
So, now you that you have, hopefully, some sense for the absolute insanity that is Tombstone Arizona (and yes I love every minute of it and no I wouldn’t change it for the life of me - well ok maybe I’d change some of it…) I can finally get to telling the story I actually set out to tell this evening.
This particular incident took place in Tombstone several weeks ago now and appears to be directly related to the infighting between the on and off Allen Street merchants. At least that is the conclusion most of us who know about it have come to. This is basically a story of collateral damage.
Don’t Take Your Guns to Town Son… Seriously
While hanging out in the ticket booth at Six Gun City with some of the actors during our lunch break one of Tombstones current temporary residents (he’s recently finished his enlistment in the armed forces - Navy if I recommember correctly - and is in town for an extended stay to decided whether or not to become a permanent resident) stopped in for a drink. On the way in he told us that he had just been accosted by one of the members of the Marshall’s office for being dressed like a cowboy (in period clothing) and carrying guns on the boardwalk!
Excuse me? Say again!?
Nope I had heard it right. A private citizen carrying not even a real gun but a replica non-firing gun, in a state with an open carry law no less, was told he could not walk down the boardwalk in Tombstone Arizona dressed like a cowboy and carry a firearm. Apparently this officer told him that if he was not a member of one of the gunfighter groups he had to surrender his "weapon". As best as we could figure the issue must have been that he might be out there to covertly promote one of the gunfight shows in a place that it was not currently allowed to be promoted. (for the past I don’t even know now *how* many months the "rules" about that have changed on a week to week basis).
Now, I’m sorry but that is just plain *whack*. How many tourists come to town either already dressed in period clothing and carrying guns (both real and replica non-firing) or show up, buy the cloths and the gun, change and then stroll down the boardwalks? Hell it happens so much that the town itself even has *name* for it. They call folks who do just that “Boardwalkers”. There are a *lot* of them (Boardwalkers) and even my wife and I were just plain ‘ol Boardwalkers until I started acting in the gunfight reenactments.
I seriously don’t get how anyone in that town, no matter what the current issues between merchants happens to be, could even for one iota of one second *ever* venture to believe that preventing folks from carrying guns in town while dressed like a cowboy was anywhere *close* to being a good idea! How long do they think that town will continue to survive if the tourists ever show up and find there are no cowboys in the streets any more? Since I was a kid, for as long as I can remember, that has always been one of the major charms of Tombstone Arizona.
Tombstone without cowboys? Puh-leee-zzz!
Anyway, it is possible that the poor guy (who for the life of me I can’t recall his name even though I’ve chatted with him probably a half dozen times at least) was singled out since he is currently a local Tombstone resident and that the officer may really not have known the poor guy was just minding his own business and not secretly trying to advertise for an off Allen Street merchant. Even so that incident still sticks in my mind as one of the more retarded things I have heard in town in a while.
If I see the feller this weekend I’ll ask him whatever came of that incident and I’ll post it here.
And now its time for me to go and get my cowboy gear ready for another weekend of killing and being killed all in the name of entertaining tourists so, until next time, keep yer powder dry and don’t squat with your spurs on!
~Sixgun Dan
May 21st, 2009 at 8:08 pm
I lived in Tombstone for 4 years and although I worked at a business located on Allen Str, and my spouse worked for the stag like coach company, I am still continually surprised at the petty politics and in fighting going on. This town needs to grow up, act like adults and quit squabbling like two kids on a playground fighting over a ball. One of the reasons I left Tombstone was because of all of the constant bickering among the re-enactment and gun fight groups, it just finally got on my nerves to much to feel comfortable there. They ( city government and gun fight groups ) need to learn that there is enough business to go around for everybody and their bickering amongst themselves is driving tourists away. Who cares if six gun city, helldorado town ok corral and huckleberry productions are advertising on Allen str. ? It entertains the tourists , brings money in and isn’t that what they really want?
May 23rd, 2009 at 3:54 am
WD,
I agree with you 1000%. The way certain members of the business community in Tombstone behave is appalling. There is a certain element there that is exactly as you called it. They behave like schoolyard bullies. What has been going on there is absolutely sickening.
On a positive note, I have not got the full story but I heard that Six Gun City won in Court this past Thursday and the city failed to shut them down. Not only that but I hear the patio opened back up today. I guess I will see in a few hours when I get there for the shows this weekend.
The owner, Mike, is not the sort to back down and I think that he surprised the old guard in Tombstone who are used to bullying those they don’t like until they force them to leave town.
I have heard *many* a story from folks who moved to Tombstone only to leave after having to deal with the politics and certain personalities that reside there.
You are right about them driving tourists away. I have hear more than a few complaining about the atmosphere there over the past year. If it is left up to these people they will destroy Tombstone completely.
Once I find out that the legal battles are over for good between the city and Six Gun City I will post some info on what has been going on. I have been holding off on posting the pics and the editorial comments as I didn’t want anyone to take them out of context and try to use them against Six Gun City in court.
September 4th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Hello Dan. I just ran across your article and it sounds like Tombstone hasn’t changed much since the early 90s when I lived there. Back in or around 1992 or three one of the men who joined me after I began the fight with Tombstone over their old Earp ordinance number 9 then labled 5-5-1 was working at the bird cage carrying a cap gun in costume and the city forced him to get a permit to do so. When I decided to fight Tombstone I was able to get the NRA to back me with the legal end of it. This fight lasted from 1991 to February of 1994 when Tombstone was forced to follow state law. I was harassed, had property destroyed (I lived down on the old Guthrie place owned by the DeVere’s) was shot at and had to shoot and wound a man in self defense while on my own property amoung other things. If you know Jeff Anderson, Ron Robertson or Dusty Escapoule they can verify that. If Tombstone is once again trying to stop anyone from carrying within the city limits I would contact the county attorney about it because at the time the judge ruled against Tombstone he told the then mayor Alex Gradious (probably spelled wrong) And Ed the marshal that if they were caught causing any unreasonable harassment he would put them in jail. The other two fellows who joined me were Jack Fiske and Ed Phelan. Ed was the fellow who worked at the bird cage. Anyway, as I stated before it sounds to me like Tombstone hasn’t changed much and I don’t believe it ever will, the main street insiders still want nothing less than to rule the town with an iron fist. They are nothing more than jackasses. Thanks, Terry McGahey (Cody, Wyoming).