Tombstone is best remembered for a Wild West culture comprised of notorious gamblers, gunslingers, and outlaw cowboys, but the majority of residents were actually respectable, law-abiding citizens. Founded in 1877 after silver was discovered in the area, Tombstone had up to 10,000 residents at the height of its mining boom in the 1880s. Some historians indicate this number only reflects white males registered to vote and speculate that the population may have been as high as 20,000 if women, children, and ethnic minorities were counted appropriately. By late 1881, Tombstone…
