Stop 08 of 8
Tucson Amtrak Station
The vendetta that started at the O.K. Corral ended right here.
The History
The Southern Pacific Railway Station was built in 1907, replacing a smaller depot. The railroad was the lifeline that allowed Tucson to connect with the rest of the country. The depot's basement was used as a holding cell for prisoners awaiting transport to another jurisdiction.
The station is the site of a revenge killing on March 18, 1882, in the aftermath of the O.K. Corral shootout. Morgan Earp had been gunned down and Virgil Earp seriously injured. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were escorting Virgil and his wife to the train to California for recovery. Wyatt heard that Frank Stilwell, one of Morgan's suspected killers, was at the station planning an ambush. Wyatt tricked Stilwell into thinking he had left, then ambushed him and killed Stilwell with several gun blasts. He was cleared of wrongdoing. Statues of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday at the station commemorate the event.
The Hauntings
The station and the adjacent Transportation Museum are a swirl of paranormal phenomena: wispy apparitions, doors slamming, footsteps on empty tile, and muted voices. One employee reported frequently smelling strong, strange perfume in the women's bathroom. Merchandise has been rearranged on shelves overnight. Lives were lost laying the tracks and running the trains, and the old depot has a way of holding onto the people who passed through it.
This is stop 08 of 8 on the full tour route. The tour covers all of them in 90 minutes.
Book Your Spot on Tonight's Tour