Good Enough Silver Mine Tour

Tombstone, Arizona, is littered with mines, but their focus was primarily on silver, with occasional copper and other minerals. The only mine the public can tour is called the “Good Enough Silver Mine,” and it was actually the first mine I had ever been to. Despite growing up in Kentucky (in coal mining areas), I had never been to a mine before. My dad helped me move across the country from Kentucky to southern Arizona in 2023, and after setting up my apartment the very next day, we went to Tombstone. I wasn’t really sure what to expect other than the movie I saw as a kid, which showcased Tombstone back in its “Hay Day,” with gunfights, shootouts, old western men riding away on horses, and, of course, working in the mines. When we arrived in Tombstone, we drove past the mine with a large horn going off and someone yelling, “Come take a mine tour! The next one leaves in 5 minutes!” My dad hoofed it over and said we need to do this tour. After getting our tickets, we were given hard hats, and shortly after, we met our guide, dressed like an old miner. He had suspenders, a button-up western shirt, long hair, old ratty pants, and black leather boots. It definitely felt like I was taken back in time to the late 1800’s. After descending into the mine, he showed us low-grade silver and higher-grade silver. He also showed us other ore that was found and pulled out of the mine. What was the need for silver and copper at that time? Coins produced by the United States Government. Several tons of ore were removed, processed, and transferred by wagon, then eventually by train. It was the Wild West after all. During transport, they had to make each silver bar weigh so heavily that it would be very difficult for train or wagon robbers to take off with their silver! It was worth a lot of money at that time. They estimate the amount produced from Tombstone is over one million dollars today. There is still plenty of copper and silver in Tombstone, but demand is not as high as it once was, and setting up a mining operation again, one that has not been active since the 1880s, would be costly. The tour lasts approximately 45 minutes to an hour with 60 stairs.