The Birdcage Mermaid

This creepy looking mummified creature is in a glass box, near the entrance of the Bird Cage Theatre’s display room. Many wonder how a mermaid would be found in the desert, so far from a body of water. The best explanation is that sometime in 1934 someone donated it to the Bird Cage Theatre’s tiny little museum. Whatever it is and however it got there, it is still a weird little artifact.  Don't you just love the look on the face of the blowfish above?  He looks like he is either in agony or singing.

Josiah: Undead Cowboy

Yahoo, Sharon is out with another book.  This fictional story is part of a series she has titled, "Midnight Arroyo".  If you love her blog Ghost Hunting Theories and the amazing way she writes, then be sure to download to Kindle (amazon.com) or Nook (barnesandnoble.com) her latest novella, "Josiah: Undead Cowboy".  For only $.99 you can add this old west story of an undead cowboy to your collection.  You can also download Kindle to your PC's, iphones, ipads, Blackberries, and Droids.

Check out Josiah's blog:

http://josiahundeadcowboy.blogspot.com/

Synopsis
How did the cowboy get to this point? One day Josiah was an anonymous cowpoke in a gold rush town, the next day he was undead. Was there anyway he could end his eternity in the Arizona desert? The answers were deep inside an abandoned gold mine where the Spirit of the Gold and his ghoulish minions resided. As the self-proclaimed guardian of the ghost town filled with ghosts, Josiah walks the line between dead and alive. When the cowboy tries to protect a woman from the ghouls, it becomes apparent that she might have more to fear from him. This 25,000 word, 7-chapter novella is the first in a series of western twists on horror classic themes, a series entitled “Midnight Arroyo.”

Tombstone's Historic Courthouse

(From Wikipedia) “Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, located in Tombstone, Arizona, United States, preserves the original Cochise County courthouse. The two-story building, constructed in 1882 in the Victorian style, is laid out in the shape of a cross and once contained various county offices, including those of the sheriff, recorder, treasurer, and the Board of Supervisors as well as courtrooms and a jail. Inside, the courthouse contains a museum with numerous artifacts from the town’s history while outside, a replica gallows has been constructed in the courtyard to mark the spot where seven men were hanged for various crimes. The park was one of the first to be designated as a state park and in 1959 was the first to open following the 1957 establishment of the Arizona State Parks Board.”

History

In 1877, Ed Schieffelin discovered silver minerals in southeastern Arizona and shortly afterwards he founded Tombstone.  This mining town grew quickly from all the people who were looking to become wealthy.  To get justice, the lawmen had to travel 70 miles to Tucson which usually took two long days.  In 1881, by popular vote, the Territory of Pima County was divided and a new county, Cochise County, was developed.  The following year a courthouse was constructed in Tombstone and occupied all the county’s offices.

In 1929, the county seat was moved to the fast growing town of Bisbee.  The last of the offices stayed open until 1931 where the courthouse remained empty until 1955.  The building was to be remodeled and become a hotel in the 1940’s, but that never happened.  In 1959, the courthouse was restored to its original luster and now stands as a historical museum.  Inside its walls are numerous exhibits and artifacts from Tombstone’s lively history.  In 1972, the courthouse was put on the National Register of Historic Places list.

Ghost and Legends Tour

Inside one of the buildings on Tombstone’s dusty main street is where the Ghost and Legends Tour can be found.  This self-guided tour is located where the Wells Fargo Company once stood, also a saloon, barber and cigar shops.  Now it is a walk through attraction where Tombstone’s history comes alive.

Using Hollywood special effects and computerized animation, you are guided by the famous gunslinger, Doc Holliday, through Tombstone’s history.  He takes you back to 1880’s when the town was booming and all hell broke loose.

In the first room is an old stagecoach used as part of the famous stage line.  This stagecoach was also used in almost 50 movie even including ones with John Wayne.  Doc explains how dangerous traveling in a stagecoach really was.  Many of the stagecoaches were robbed with some of its passengers murdered by unforgiving outlaws.

The next room is the recreation of Morgan Earp’s murder in the Campbell and Hatch Saloon in 1882.  You see Wyatt in the corner holding a cue stick and Morgan on the other side of the pool table.   I am assuming that this was right after Morgan was shot because he has a look of agony on his face and he is holding his back.  This saloon is now the Red Buffalo Trading Company. 

The next room is the Undertaker’s Parlor where the unlucky souls were sent before being buried at Boot Hill.  On the table lies Billy Clanton and in the coffins along the wall are the McLaury brothers and some other poor slob.  Hey, don’t those fellas in the coffins resemble the Ghost Adventure boys (Zak, Nick, and Aaron)?

The last room shows a building burning.  They are recreating the fires than nearly destroyed Tombstone.  Even the fires and earthquakes couldn’t wipe out this “Town too tough to die”.

Struck By Lightning: An Old Western Cemetery

One of the must-see places while in Fairbank, AZ is its tiny little cemetery.  The cemetery is about ½ mile from the town and historic buildings.  That half a mile seemed much longer to me but I didn’t want to be a wimp so I hiked it with the others.  It was warm with a slight breeze so I sucked down the water to keep hydrated.  The dirt trail was flat for the most part except when you got near the cemetery.

On top of the hill you can see the amazing views of the San Pedro River Valley where the cemetery sits and only three graves are currently marked.  Most of the graves were barely noticeable from the many years of harsh weather and lightning strikes.  Many of the Fairbank’s past residence are more than likely buried in those graves.  By all the interesting artifacts discovered in the cemetery, historians and others believe the cemetery has been used for centuries.

Fairbank Historic Town Site

Near Tombstone, Arizona and built in 1881 on the old San Juan de las Boquillas y Nogales Mexican land grant, sits the tiny mill town of Fairbank.  The almost abandoned site was named for, Nathanial Kellogg Fairbank, a Chicago businessman who put up his money to build the first railroad in the region. 

By 1889, Fairbank had five saloons, a meat market, general store, grocery, three restaurants, a hotel, a Wells Fargo Office, livery stables, train and stage depots, a school, post office and many residents’ houses.  The town quickly grew with a transportation center and a large Chinese immigrant population who grew vegetables for Fairbank and surrounding communities.

Fairbank thrived even after Tombstone’s mines flooded and a major earthquake in 1887.  It continued to be the place where transportation was still the focal point for the southwest until the price of copper dropped.  When the mines and railroad traffic diminished, in 1944 they closed the school.  By the 1960’s the Southern Pacific Railroad ceased the run to the Fairbank Station and in 1967 the Depot was taken down.  By the mid 1970’s, the last of Fairbank residents left the town for good.

San Jose Boarding House

This boarding house was a favorite of Doc Holliday’s.  He would lay his hat there while in Tombstone and during visits with his lady love, Big Nose Kate.  Many wonder if Doc’s spirit is still hanging around because of the paranormal experiences that some have claimed happened to them especially in the room Doc liked to stay in.  Some of the activity is of doors opening and shutting by themselves and the toilet keeps flushing for no apparent reason.  One guest had several pictures taken of him and his lady friend while in that room.  In all the pictures, she had a strange haze over her face and his face was clear.  They moved positions and the haze was still over her face.  There was no explanation for the unusual occurrence.  An owner tells of a frightening experience that she had while in the house.  One night she had trouble breathing as if she was being choked.  She yelled the Father’s name loudly and right afterwards felt much better.