To many people, a vacation to Arizona means enjoying the sun and perhaps a game of golf in and around the state's two largest cities, Phoenix and Tucson. If you have an interest in history, and enjoy getting off the busy highways, you might wish to take a trip to Cochise County, which is located in the southeast corner of Arizona. Wide open spaces and a great independent spirit give Cochise County the air of what Arizona was really like back in the says when it was a Territory. The best way to absorb Cochise County is to visit its historic towns: Benson, Tombstone, and Bisbee. Located right off Interstate 10, just 45 miles east of Tucson, is the historic railroad town of Benson. Located in the heart of the San Pedro River Valley, Benson is the home of Kartchner Caverns State Park, a live, wet cave.

Back in Territorial days, Benson was a scheduled stop on the Butterfield Overland Stage Coach Route and the Pony Express as well. That, along with the birth of the transcontinental railroad, made Benson a bustling railroad town. The infamous town of Tombstone, the town too tough to die, is situated on Highway 80 about twenty miles south. Most everyone recognizes Tombstone as where the imfamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place in the old west era. Tombstone's main source of income is, you might have guessed, tourism. Allen Street, the town's main thoroughfare, still resembles Tombstone as it was in the 1880s. The walkways beside the storefronts are wooden, and the streets are still unpaved. Although there are many shops and restaurants in Tombstone, the town relishes its historical imprint on America. The O.K. Corral still offers tours, as does the C.S. Fly Photo Gallery, where you can view Mr. Fly's photographs of Geronimo and 1880s Tombstone.