Tombstone Arizona Part 2

"The town too tough to die"

Part II

Hot Spots in Tombstone...Big Nose Kate's Saloon

The Big Nose Kate's Saloon opened in 1985 as a restaurant and bar.  It resides in what was left of 

The Grand Hotel building which was owned by Kate and opened in 1881.  

The Grand was declared as one of the finest hotels in the state, it was lavishly decorated and luxuriously furnished.  The hotel provided 16 bedrooms, each with a "view," toilet stands, fine fixtures, and wallpaper.  The lobby had three chandeliers and the kitchen boasted of hot and cold running water and facilities to serve some 500 people.  

The hotel was built on top of a silver mine shaft, which runs underneath the town. A handy man at the hotel, "Swamper," had a room in the basement where it is said that he tunneled his way into the silver shaft and managed to hide a large cache of silver. He is said to "haunt" the basement of Big Nose Kate's Saloon.

During its first few years, the hotel was frequented by Tombstone's famous including Wyatt and Virgil Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Clanton Gang.  In fact, the two McLaury brothers were registered guests the night before the famous shoot out at the OK Corral.  

The Grand Hotel did not last long.  The devastating fire of 1882 burned down the hotel and many other buildings in Tombstone.

I could not find any images of the original hotel but did find an old Epitaph newspaper description of it. 

September 9, 1880

Passing into the building by the front entrance the first thing that strikes the eye is a wide handsome staircase covered by an elegant carpet and supporting a heavy black walnut banister.

A heavy brussels carpet of the most elegant style and finish graces the floor, the walls are adorned with rare and costly oil paintings:  the furniture is of walnut cushioned with the most expensive silk and rep, and nothing lacks, save the piano which will be placed in the position shortly.

Big Nose Kate owned and furnished the Grand Hotel.  Kate was a local celebrity; a show girl, prostitute

 and longtime companion and common-law wife of Old West dentist turned gunfighter, Doc Holliday.

Kate, born Mary Katherine Hornoy, November 7, 1850 in Pest, Hungary to Hungarian physician Miklos Hornoy was said to be descended from royalty.

Her family immigrated to Iowa and shortly thereafter, at the age of 14 she lost both of her parents within a year of each other.  She and her siblings were forced to live with relatives.  However, Kate ran away at age 16 and headed south to Missouri.

Kate and her sister

In 1869 she is recorded as working as a prostitute for Madam Blanch Tribole in St. Louis.  Then in 1874 she was fined for working as a "sporting woman" in a sporting house in Dodge City, Kansas...run by Nellie "Bessie" Earp, James Earp's wife.

In 1876 Kate moved to Fort Griffin, Texas, where in 1877 she met Doc Holliday.  Kate introduced Holliday to her friend Wyatt Earp.  In 1880, Holliday and his friend Wyatt joined the Earp's in Tombstone.  More on their connection and the shoot out at the OK Corral in Part III.

Doc Holliday

Kate

Doc still practiced dentistry in Tombstone

Big Nose Kate's Saloon today...

A great place to eat, drink and be fascinated by the history around you, beneath you and in the shadows.

Big Nose Kate's has been investigated by Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures and Ghost Lab, as well as numerous local paranormal groups.

We give Big Nose Kate's a ghost rating!