Dodge City, Tombstone or Deadwood?

[Digger]

Just out of curiosity, and a discussion I've been having with other locals from my town, which of these 3 cities have you heard of and would like to visit? Which do you think is more known world wide? Any added personal thoughts?


Thanks

 

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[goldenIrishman]

Well I live near Tombstone and drive thru it regularly. There are a lot of true ghost town here in Arizona but I don't consider Tombstone to be one of them since it's a major tourist trap.

 

[Maitland]

Pretty much everything goldenIrishman said, except replace "Tombstone" with "Deadwood". Never been to Tombstone or Dodge City, always wanted to check out the Tombstone area though.

 

[ikesdad]

Just like he sez. I went to high school in Lead, and Deadwood was just another small town trapping tourists in the summer. Now it has been ruined by the gambling and increase in tourism.
A sad day when Homestake shut down.

 

[Peyton Manning]

skip dodge, trust me, nothing left to see. just a tourist trap reenactment thing

 

[ikesdad]

I would think that if one wanted to explore any ghost towns out west here, homework is to be done on lesser known but just as active or even larger than the well known TV western names.

 

[maui]

been to tombstone a few times, i would not call it a ghost town but there is alot of history there if you are interested.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Deadwood is nice, pretty area too..

 

[Crowfriend]

Go to Tombstone, spend an hour there, continue to Bisbee, spend a few days there. During your stay in Bisbee go check out; Ft Bowie, Ft Rucker, Gleason, Pearce, Amerind Museum, anywhere in the Dragoons (Cochise) or Chiricahua Mountains (Johnny Ringo's grave) etc. Cochise County is a giant historical playground with Tombstone being the most boring place within its boundaries. Need a guide?

 

[cactusman]

They're all cool to visit, and full of history. They aren't true ghost towns, as they are more for tourists, but you can still feel the history in the air there. If you go to Tombstone (my personal favorite), take Crowfriend's advice and spend some time in Bisbee -- it's an awesome little mining town just south of Tombstone. I've roamed all around down there, and if you take the time, you'll see things few others get to see -- just don't be afraid to get out of the tourist sections. Do take the time to stop in to the Birdcage Theater in Tombstone; that's probably the best-preserved building.

 

[sewshiny]

Have visited all three & enjoyed the history & atmosphere. Like Tombstone best because we can take desert treks. Have walked the old RR tracks outside town and ventured out on day trips to interesting areas. Don't miss Bisbee & the Queen mine. Dodge City visit was pretty fast only a couple of days, so we didn't get much into the outlying areas much & it was a larger town so it had a different atmosphere. Deadwood was interesting. Lots of casinos, but again interesting areas & towns close. Don't miss Lead. I would go back to Tombstone, have times just recently, and Deadwood. You probably won't find property to explore in these areas unless you are able to get out a number of miles from the town to the less developed areas. Then there are a lot of private property & restricted areas around.
Good luck

 

[austin]

Been to Tombstone and Deadwood.and loved them both. You will too. Wait for fall or winter for Tombstone, trust me...