Has Tombstone Become the Town Too Dumb to Die? - Part V - Page 3

There are certain businesses in Tombstone that rely upon the distribution of handbills to draw customers. If those businesses are denied access equal to those fortunate merchants who are along Allen Street, isn’t there something inherently wrong with the system?

Why would a mayor and town council deliberately enact and enforce rules and regulations that would not only destroy independent businesses, but also eliminate dozens of jobs? Isn’t one of the duties of the mayor, town council, and chamber of commerce to ensure that business in a community has a chance of survival?

Without appearing to take sides, I must admit that I am friends with two of the individuals who have been seriously effected by the latest attempt at “authenticity.” To state up front that any of the detailed incidents are intentional or malicious would not be accurate or honest. We all must labor under the assumption that the motives of the mayor, town council, city marshal, and chamber are to make their community a better place to live.

Progress, like birth, is an extremely painful process that can, at times, prove fatal. There are times when progress isn’t really progress at all, but those involved simply cannot see the damage they are inflicting on others, their community, and ultimately themselves. If the current trend continues, all the color, fun, and excitement that makes Tombstone such a unique destination will have been destroyed.

In this day and age of recession, logic dictates that those in charge of the community do whatever is necessary to ensure what has worked in the past is only enhanced to ensure their special little town remains just that: special.

Tombstone is one of my favorite places. I make it a point to visit at least three times a year, and I try to spend a week there with each visit. After many years visiting the town, I have a number of friends, many of whom email or call with all the latest gossip. What is going on now is different. The moment I arrived in town in early March, a friend pounced, “Have you heard what is going on and what they have done to Sylvia (the owner of the Tombstone Boardinghouse B & B)?”

Article Author: SJ Reidhead

SJ Reidhead is the author of two western novels, and several books about Tombstone and Wyatt Earp. She blogs at The Pink Flamingo. While she is highly critical of the influence of far right conservatives on her beloved Republican Party, her first …

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