You could find Heinz ketchup and vinegar; Philadelphia Cream Cheese, candy corn, saccharin, Tabasco Sauce, Fleishman’s Yeast, Campbell’s Soups, margarine, Baker’s Chocolate, A-1 Steak Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Necco Wafers, Poland Spring’s Water, marshmallows, potato chips, ladyfingers, chicken fried steak, tarter sauce, soda water, fondue, soft drinks, cereal, Underwood Deviled Ham, Saltines, Pillsbury Flour, Graham Crackers, Angostura Bitters, grapefruit, raisins, pears, oranges, bananas, lemons, pasta, spaghetti, Chinese food, granola, russet potato, sugar cubes, pasteurized beer, mayonnaise, mustard, relishes, conserves, French Fries, tater tots, instant mashed potatoes, iced tea, coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, tortillas, tacos, macrons, and most importantly – hamburger steak. (By this time people were experimenting on ways to serve it between two pieces of bread with ketchup, mustard, and grilled onions. A “Hamburger Sandwich” was being served in Texas by 1883!). There was coleslaw, and a Coney Island with mustard and raw onions! Okay, I could make it in Tombstone as long as I could get my iced tea and an occasional hotdog!
They had steaks, seafood, oysters, lobster, clam chowder, venison, bacon, sausage, and any possible cut of beef. In other words, if you had the money, people in Tombstone in 1881 ate better than they do now. You could get tamales, tequila, Champaign and wine from France. They had canned goods of all sorts. There were pies, cakes, breads, biscuits, cookies, and ice cream corns. Want to eat with cop-sticks? No problem.
Want a salad, forget it. Want fresh veggies? Forget it. People were almost "starved" for vegetables. And there was no way the average person living in Tombstone could afford to pay for ‘imported’ vegetables.
The average wage for a miner in Tombstone was less than $10 a week. That’s less than $190 in today’s market. If a miner could do a little "prospecting" he could augment that amount, but that was dangerous work. A school teacher did not make much more than that, nor did a minister. It was entirely possible the County Sheriff could make $40,000 a year in commissions. If this number is correct, the person who was Cochise County Sheriff, be it Wyatt Earp or John Behan, would stand to make nearly $800,000 a year.
Tombstone had a gym, a bowling alley, baseball team, and several billiard establishments There was a wholesale liquor distributor, cigar shops, and saloons. Robertson had a fairly large bookstore where one could find fairly recent copies of the latest newspapers from all over the country. Newspapers in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco kept tabs on the town. Clara Brown was a regular contributor to the paper in San Diego. You read right, a woman. The men had their choice of several barber and bath houses. Bath houses in 1881 Tombstone were definitely not what they are today. One went to a bath house to bathe, if one were a man.
Article comments
1 - Donnie Marler
SJ, I'm greatly enjoying your series! I'm a lover of the history of the old West. You're doing a great job.
2 - T. Michael Testi
SJ, Nice job. I have always been fascinated by history, especially the different view points that we are given by today's manipulation of history vs. the reality that was their world. This was their world and they live in it. Reality is how they experienced it, not how some reporter viewing through a single set of eyes reports it. To be true it must contain enough viewpoints to be representative of the time.
I look forward to reading more.
3 - SJ Reidhead
Thank you so much for your kind comments. They are much appreciated.
SJ Reidhead