About the History
Tombstone has a rich history of more than 140 years. Like most boomtowns in the old west, we had our share of gamblers and gunslingers, and Hollywood has almost beatified a 30-second street fight. Unfortunately, those first few challenging years overshadow the fantastic people and events that made Tombstone a great city. One of my goals for this site is to introduce you to pioneers like Dr. George Goodfellow, Nellie Cashman, and George Parsons. I also cover events like the political wrangling surrounding the railroad and how the water pipeline was built. Since Tombstone was a mining town, I included information about the mines and how silver was wrestled from the earth and processed. Finally, I cover a few lighter topics, like the roller staking parties. This site is, of course, not an exhaustive history of Tombstone but is bite-sized stories of our beginnings.
About the Paranormal
Tombstone is one of the most haunted locations in the United States. Perhaps that is due to how some of our early citizens lived and died. Perhaps that is due to the geology underlying our city. Perhaps, though, maybe ghosts just like being in Tombstone. Whatever the reason, I have included descriptions of many paranormal “hot-spots” and what sorts of activity is experienced there. I also include photographs and my theories about what is going on in our haunted town.
About the Ghost Stories
Over the years, I've written several ghost stories. I like to call these "old-fashioned, camp-fire" stories since they are like those I used to hear while I was a boy camping out with friends. This site includes both a written and oral version of each story so you can enjoy them however you prefer.
About Me
My name is George Self. I started leading walking ghost tours in Tombstone in early 2009 (one of my favorite jokes is to tell my guests that they are taking a self-guided tour). In 2019 I began driving a trolley and added historical tours to my work. Over all of those years, I’ve spent hundreds of hours studying Tombstone’s history, culture, and mining so I can present the most historically accurate tour for our guests. In July 2021 I became a Certified Interpretive Guide with the National Association for Interpretation, a professional organization dedicated to advancing the profession of heritage interpretation.
As far as my personal life, I retired from the United States Army in 1999 and then retired from Cochise College in 2019. Leading tours in Tombstone is my third career and I think that I’ve finally found my niche. My wife and I share our home with two cocker spaniels, though they are pretty much in charge of everything and only tolerate us since we feed them.
About the Logo
The logo for this site is a closeup photograph of layered limestone that is common in Tombstone mines. The word “Tombstone” was written with Anderson Four Feather Falls Regular font because that looks a bit old-timey to me. It is in a blue-green color reminiscent of the chrysocolla mineral found throughout the mining district. The word “Silver” is written in Mistral font that I chose since it is a fun font that I intend to reflect the fun I have on tours. It is white to symbolize silver, though silver chloride, which was mined, is dark gray.
