Tombstone · Question
How does Tombstone develop the theme of Boom and Bust?
Answer
Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns develops Boom and Bust across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The rise and fall of Tombstone as a silver-mining boomtown is a central theme, detailing how the town grew rapidly to 15,000 people, then collapsed when mines flooded, leaving it a ghost town, symbolizing the fragility of frontier prosperity.
Tombstone's rapid rise as a silver mining camp exemplifies the boom-and-bust cycle of frontier towns.
The discovery of silver transforms barren hills into a booming mining camp, but Schieffelin ultimately finds wealth hollow and returns to the wilderness.
Tombstone's rapid growth from a cluster of tents to a bustling city, and the eventual decline hinted at by Julius Caesar's fall from restaurateur to lunch counter operator.
Evidence in the book
- Tombstone
Tombstone's rapid rise as a silver mining camp exemplifies the boom-and-bust cycle of frontier towns.
- I: Hills of Silver
The discovery of silver transforms barren hills into a booming mining camp, but Schieffelin ultimately finds wealth hollow and returns to the wilderness.
- II: Red Lights and Altar Candles
Tombstone's rapid growth from a cluster of tents to a bustling city, and the eventual decline hinted at by Julius Caesar's fall from restaurateur to lunch counter operator.
- Curly Bill
The chapter mentions Tombstone's silver boom as the backdrop for Curly Bill's activities, where he spends money freely in saloons and gambling halls.
- The Affair of Skeleton Canyon
The stolen silver is squandered in the saloons of Galeyville and Charleston, reflecting the boomtown economy of quick wealth and reckless spending.
- On the Benson Road
The $80,000 treasure shipment underscores the wealth flowing through Tombstone during the silver boom, while the robbery attempt reflects the lawlessness that accompanied rapid growth.
- The Out Trail
Referenced in Earp's later ventures in Nome, Goldfield, and Tonopah, and the ephemeral nature of frontier boomtowns.
- Buried Treasure
The promise of a three-million-dollar treasure reflects the boom mentality of sudden wealth, while the repeated failures of searchers like Virgil Boucher illustrate the bust.
