Welcome, everyone, to the almost
world-famous Cactus Atlas.
On today's episode we're in Tombstone, Arizona
about to check out one of our favorite attractions -
the original Bird Cage Theater.
It's part museum, part paranormal
investigation attraction and just
overall an amazing piece of history.
So if you want to find out what it's like,
come with us. Let's go check it out.
[Music]
So if you're looking for the Bird Cage
Theatre here in Tombstone...
pretty much where you see these road closed signs...
this is facing almost due East.
The Bird Cage is there at the very end of the street.
The Bird Cage Theatre is kind of a museum experience.
You can enter the main lobby there
and they'll actually give you a
really well-done intro to some
interesting information about the building.
Then if you want to proceed
and go into the theater and the museum
experience you would pay a fee.
Currently it's $14 per adult.
There are senior and child prices
which we'll actually put down in
the description below.
But once again, you do a self-guided tour
basically through the museum
which includes walking through the theater
seeing tons of artifacts as well as
going behind stage and into the basement
to see some really interesting stuff
which we're going to show you now.
Alright. We're entering the Bird Cage Theater.
It's just amazing to me to visit
locations like this where you smell that
old musty wood smell.
You know this place is old.
The people... the personalities that
must have once come here to drink...
have a rowdy good time...
to see shows...
I think a lot happen in this place.
You can feel it.
Oh check this out.
They even have a Fiji mermaid or
I believe in this case a merman on display here.
Apparently these are old original circus posters
that you can kind of see - they've faith faded with time -
up here from Sweden in 1883.
The sign says that patrons
could rent these boxes up here for $25.
See it continues up here on this side.
This building was opened in 1881.
So you could see this is a very old building.
Probably pushing close to a hundred
and fifty years almost.
You feel it walking on the floors.
Very rickety.
Very musty and old smelling in here.
Everything just feels very original
and it's holding together nicely
for being that old.
It's rare that you get to roam through
something like this.
You can see here there's a little door
and that's actually looking back out
into the main theatre.
You can kind of see too...
that floor is not very level.
It looks like it's very bowed.
Do you notice that? Is it just me?
I could be mistaken and
didn't get information but I think those
are all bullet holes in the ceiling.
Amy and I are having a
discussion and we're trying to figure
out are those indeed bullet holes.
Her point is some of them are aligned
very spaced out pretty well so we're not sure
if all of them are.
There's four over there that form a square.
Seems unlikely.
But some of them here I think
they're probably bullet holes.
I believe I read a figure that there's about a
hundred and forty bullet holes spread
throughout this building.
They're probably from drunken cowboys shooting
their guns up into the ceiling
and god knows what else.
That's crazy. This is the stage here
where they would perform at the Bird Cage
and these are bullet holes right there.
Amazing.
This is approximately what a
performer may have seen looking down at
a very drunken rowdy audience shooting
their guns up in the air hooting and hollering.
It must have been exhilarating
and frightening at the same time.
This is an interesting relic here.
This is an original grand piano
that's been in this spot since 1881 apparently.
Now one of the fascinating things here
for me is this Faro table.
Legend says, or perhaps historical fact,
I'm not quite sure, that
this was the table where Doc Holliday
and Johnny Ringo had their famous duel
which was very well portrayed in the 1990s
movie Tombstone if you remember that.
One thing I would like to know more
about and if you know the answer, put
information in the comments down below,
is how did they validate that this was the
actual table? I'm not saying that it's not.
Just curious. Is it truly historically
factually the table or is it legend?
One thing if you're a fan of the paranormal...
this is supposed to be a very haunted location.
I think they even do ghost
hunts and little paranormal activities
here at the Bird Cage Theatre.
If there are any spirits here...
anybody that has a story to tell...
Do something.
Move something.
Say something.
Tug my shirt.
Whisper in my ear.
Blow on my neck.
I'm a skeptic
and I would like
for a spirit here to
change my mind.
Are there any happy haunts here?
I know it's daytime.
Apparently you guys don't like
to make yourself known at daytime.
Make it known that there is a
world beyond ours.
Amy just gave me a look.
She does not like when I taunt the spirits.
Although I don't feel like I'm taunting.
I'm just inviting.
A full-bodied apparition would be very appreciated
but I would do for an orb.
I would take a disembodied voice.
I would take something moving inexplicably. Anything.
Like I said, I'm very skeptical
about paranormal stuff but
I do like haunted history. I do think it's fun.
I've always just kind of liked to...
I'm not making fun at it but just
genuinely curious and interested.
I can report to you that so far I've not
experienced any sign. Not even the
slightest inkling that there's any kind
of paranormal activity here at the Bird Cage.
It is daytime so like I said,
I think the spirits only come out at night.
The next stop is you're gonna
go up the stairs there and head back
behind stage where they've got some
really, really neat artifacts that you're
gonna want to see.
[Music]
Now one of the famous things to come
check out here is this hearse known as
the Black Mariah.
The Black Mariah is one of my favorite
pieces here at the Bird Cage Theater.
It's just fascinating to think that
after the shootout at the OK Corral
this hearse transported some of the
famous people that died in that battle.
There's information on the hearse here
that says with the exception of six people,
this hearse pretty much delivered
everybody buried in Boot Hill to the cemetery.
It's seen its share of haul.
It's amazing to think how many men
that were murdered or shot were
transported in the Black Mariah.
We just paid a visit to Boot Hill Cemetery
and got a real sense of how many men died
through means such as murder or being shot.
Men that were probably transported
in this very hearse.
We made a video about the Boot Hill Cemetery
and if you'd like to learn more
and check that out, I'll put a link
down in the description below.
Outside of there just being grisly history with this,
it is a beautiful piece of history.
It's actually trimmed in 24 karat gold
and sterling silver.
Absolutely beautiful.
This particular coffin was a
movie relic from the movie Tombstone.
Whoa. That frightened me. [laughter]
I think they did that on purpose.
I was not expecting that to be honest.
I'm going to now proceed
from this backstage area, downstairs,
where there's some really cool
stuff that you're gonna want to see.
Let's go check it out really quick.
Right next to the Black Mariah are
the stairs to go downstairs.
This is one of my favorite areas here
at the Bird Cage.
They've got some ghoulish
visitors back there.
Apparently these are original
tables and chairs from the 1880s.
Down here in particular, you can really
taste the dust and smell the antiquity.
It's the real deal.
All the whiskey bottles and everything back there...
according to this information here
are all originals from the 1880s.
It's an original bar.
The mirrors have hung in the same place since 1881.
This is really interesting too.
I'm assuming this is just like a cellar or something.
I see a hand grenade down there.
[laughter]
A bunch of old barrels back there.
You really can smell
here, more than anything, the dankness
and the oldness of this building.
Probably the original creaky wood floors.
Imagine crawling back there.
Some of these rooms here
would have been restrooms and
baths for the gamblers.
I assume this is where some of the
ladies of the night did their trade.
Look at that.
I'm kind of sticking my nose
a little bit into this room
and you can smell the history.
That is so amazing and a little creepy
to think of what occurred in this room.
Here's another one to see.
I wonder if business took place here
in this room while other patrons sat feet
away playing cards.
What noises would they hear?
I just can't imagine what stories
came about from down here in this area.
So at this point I'd like to give you a few
final thoughts about my experience today here
at the old Bird Cage Theater.
If you come to Tombstone, I would say
this is my top number one favorite thing
to come visit here.
I visit it every time I come here.
As you saw it's, I would say,
part museum but it's just kind of
wandering through an old building that
just has so much left untouched.
The sights and the smells are just really a
magical glimpse... a window into the
lawless Old West past.
I don't really have too much to say
other than you need to make it a point
to come visit any time you're near Tombstone.
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Well, we got to hit the road.
We hope you enjoyed this episode.
We'll be back to you again really soon with a
new adventure so stay tuned and take it easy.
This is one of the original bullet holes here in the bar.
[Music]