Tombstone · Theme
Boom and Bust
How Tombstone develops Boom and Bust.
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.
Where it surfaces
- 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.
- XVIII: The Honeymoon Cattle Drive
Slaughter benefits from the cattle boom when railroads open Eastern markets, but also faces constant threats from rustlers and outlaws during the boom times.
- Sunshine and Peace
The chapter details Tombstone's dramatic decline from a booming mining town of 15,000 to a near ghost town, and its slow, modest revival—illustrating the boom-and-bust cycle of frontier mining communities.