The Bird Cage Theatre

Tombstone, Arizona

Opened just a day after Christmas in 1881, the Bird Cage Theatre was owned by the Hutchinson couple, Lottie and William. The theatre originally opened with the owners hoping to emulate the shows he had witnessed out in San Francisco, however, the rough-and-tumble crowd that inhabited Tombstone showed little interest.

So, in order to appeal to the crowd, a wide variety of shows took place within the theatre walls from the “Female Hercules” to comedians, opera singers, masquerade balls which featured cross-dressing entertainers, wrestling matches, and magic shows all occurred center stage.

Most notable in the Bird Cage’s history is the longest poker game which took place within the theatre’s basement. The players put in a $1,000 buy-in and some of the players included men such as Doc Holliday, George Hearst, Wyatt Earp, and Bat Masterson. From 1881 to 1889 this single game of poker was played 24/7 and and estimated $10 million was exchanged throughout the course of it all. Luckily for the theatre, they were reported to keep around 10% of the earnings!

Unfortunately, the Bird Cage Theatre didn’t stay open long. Once the price of silver plummeted, many of the miners that lived there vacated in the hopes of finding something more lucrative. By 1892, Tombstone had lost a large portion of its population, leading to the closure of many businesses, the Bird Cage included.

https://tombstonebirdcage.com/birdcagehistory.html

The Investigation

Like many mining towns of the Wild West, Tombstone had a violent history that seemed to leave a mark on both the buildings and the land of southern Arizona.

Within the theatre itself, this violent history is apparent to this day as the walls are littered with bullet holes from drunk men who gambled with the wrong people.

My “investigation” took place over the course of three hours along with a group of other people who I didn’t know too well. Immediately, I was under the impression that it wasn’t going to be an active night. Despite being investigated by many groups, Tombstone isn’t exactly known for its paranormal activity.

My intuition was right when it came to this location. Whether it’s due to the large group of people who came in or the building itself just isn’t that active, nothing noteworthy occurred during the investigation. Very little communication came through, all of which seemed to be residual and unintelligent responses to any questions that were asked and very little was actually captured.

Some claimed to feel things, others claimed to see or hear something that they couldn’t explain. As for myself, I was left disappointed because I considered the entire “investigation” to be a dud.

I use the term “investigation” lightly with this one because it was structured in any way and there wasn’t any clear plan when it came to the entire night. The large group of people made it hard to discern between noises from living people or the dead and I found myself wishing I was on my own like I was for the Old Washoe Club.

While I don’t doubt that some restless spirits reside within Tombstone, chances are they aren’t willing to talk to someone such as myself. I believe that the energy within Tombstone itself is residual due to the activity that occurs today. Reenactments of shootings, small performances of one of the greatest shootouts in history — from a spirit’s perspective, its still Tombstone’s prime and not the 21st century.

Regardless, it was still fascinating to learn about the history of Tombstone, Arizona’s history even and I enjoyed learning about it all. If you ever find yourself nearby, check it out and immerse yourself in the Wild West for a day!