If tourists truly want to see Tombstone, you need to visit Ringo’s Grave, too. It’s a must-see.
A lonely place, dark and sullen under a giant five-stemmed blackjack oak. You might not believe in Old West lore, but you are heedful when you approach it.

It’s the place where John Ringo died. The tree where he supposedly shot himself in the head with his Colt .45, ending an apparently troubled life.

In front of the tree on the west side of Turkey Creek near the Chiricahua Mountain foothills is a body-length cairn with a scratch-worded epitaph:

“The remains of this noted gunman and outlaw lie here . . . A coroner’s jury reported the death to be suicide, and Ringo was buried on the spot. There were others who viewed the body and maintained that the July 13, 1882 death of Ringo was murder.”

Ringo the legend has had more extravagant claims about him than Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James and Buffalo Bill combined, writes author Jack Burrows in “John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was.”

There is a feeling he was “a coward and a backshooter,” Duhanich says. “But he did stand up to Doc Holliday.”

Area newspapers, including those in Tucson, bought the Ringo myth of him being a deadly gunslinger, but the closest he apparently came to killing anyone was when he got mad at a guy in a Safford bar who declined his offer of whiskey for a beer. Ringo shot him point-blank, but hit only his ear.

His judged suicide may be the most compelling story. He was cradled in the tree, the rifle placed carefully against it, boots hanging nearby on his saddle. And he was partially scalped.

One rumor was Wyatt Earp was after him. But the close range angle of the bullet to the right temple clearly indicated the wound was self-inflicted.

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Tirrito Farm

Willcox

United States

Enrique

SAR 810 total

includes taxes & fees

9 Dec - 10 Dec

Seasonal outdoor pool, open 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, pool umbrellas

Trail Rider's Inn

Tombstone

Canada

Michelle

SAR 256 total

includes taxes & fees

21 Dec - 22 Dec

Superior Room, 1 King Bed | Exterior

Inn History Tombstone

Tombstone

United States

robin

SAR 437 total

includes taxes & fees

22 Dec - 23 Dec

Exterior

Allen Street Inn

Tombstone

United States

Marissa

Family Apartment (Invincible) | Private kitchen | Microwave, coffee/tea maker, toaster oven, cookware/dishes/utensils

WELCOME TO VIGILANTE INN

Tombstone

United States

david

SAR 573 total

includes taxes & fees

1 Jan - 2 January 2026

Property grounds

TOMBSTONE'S VIGILANTE INN "EARP" Cozy, Quiet, 2 Blocks from all festivities

Tombstone

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James "JD" S.

SAR 699 total

includes taxes & fees

9 Dec - 10 Dec

Property grounds

WELCOME TO VIGILANTE INN - "HOLLIDAY"

Tombstone

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Stacie

SAR 699 total

includes taxes & fees

9 Dec - 10 Dec

Property grounds

WELCOME TO VIGILANTE INN "INVINCIBLE QUARTERS"

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Frank H.

SAR 699 total

includes taxes & fees

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