Each year, Tombstone Vigilante Days celebrates the Tucson Vigilantes, a local nonprofit group dedicated to preserving Tombstone’s history through reenactments.
This year, the event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14, and Sunday, Feb. 15, on historic Allen Street in downtown Tombstone.
The Tombstone Vigilantes started in 1946. They are known as the “Ambassadors of Tombstone.”
They regularly perform every second and fourth Sunday of the month. They also participate in events such as the Tombstone Film Festival, Helldorado Days, Wild West Days, Stuff the Stagecoach, Santa in the Park, Wyatt Earp Days, the Tucson Rodeo Parade, Rex Allen Days in Willcox, Patagonia’s 4th of July parade and Showdown in Tombstone.
They raise money for organizations such as the local animal shelter, library, fire department, youth camps, food bank and senior center.
They collect money for these organizations through individual donations. Many visitors donate to them when they are hanged, put in jail or given a death certificate.
Tammi-Jo Wilkins, chief of the Tombstone Vigilantes, said this event, which started 40 years ago, really highlights the Vigilantes. It also honors the heritage and history of Tombstone.
Wilkins is the second female chief in the Vigilantes’ history.
During the event, members of the Vigilantes and the Castle Dome Marauders, a group out of Yuma, will do gunfight reenactments and skits.
“We’ll go back and forth, doing different skits throughout the day. We do gunfights in the street, and we’re trying to get audience participation,” Wilkins said.
The Tombstone Vigilettes, a sister organization, will put on a 1880s fashion show.
Wilkins said over the years, there have been different activities during Vigilante Days.
“In years past, we had a great big cake, which we served up and shared with the community. The mayor’s done a proclamation for us. In the past, there have been some famous people that have come through, and we would showcase them during our event,” Wilkins said.
During the event, attendees can find out more about the Vigilantes.
“Any of the members would be happy to help anybody with any questions that they may have about participation, what we do, how we do it,” Wilkins said.
Usually on performance days, around 30 to 35 members show up in full dress.
“We do have a very robust group. There’s different stages of membership. We have lifetime members who’ve been involved with the Vigilantes for more than 10 years. We have regular full members, which that’s what I am right now. Then, we have associate members, who are considered part time members. They’re not held to the same standards as a full member, but they still participate and do all fun stuff. Then, we have probationary members, and those are the members who want to become either an associate or a full member,” Wilkins said.
The group always starts Vigilante Days off with the national anthem. Wilkins said if anyone has a birthday or anniversary, they have the chance to shoot a can during the safety demo.
The group also celebrates members in other ways throughout the year.
“If there’s a new member that needs to get a badge, sometimes I like to do it on the street. If they’re done with their probation, and they’re ready for their badge, I’ll do a presentation in public on the street so that the community can be involved,” Wilkins said.
The Vigilantes rehearse in the mornings on days they perform. They are informed ahead of time about which skits they will be doing.
Wilkins and her husband have been part of the Vigilantes for 5 years. They joined shortly after moving to Tombstone. She said they first encountered the group at Helldorado Days.
“We bought our very first outfits, and we got all dressed up and went downtown. At Helldorado Days, we were watching the Vigilantes perform skits. I’ve always been fascinated with the female attire of that generation, and my husband has always been interested in being a bad guy gunfighter. We spoke to the then chief Steve Reeder, and he encouraged us to come to a meeting and to join the Vigilantes,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins said since joining the Vigilantes, she and her husbands’ costume collections have expanded.
“I have everything from fancy bustle dresses to grubby cowgirl, and my husband is always going to be a grubby cowboy,” Wilkins said.
They both had never been performers prior to joining the Vigilantes.
“Neither one of us have done any acting before doing this. We’ve now been cast in 14 different western movies. We just have a good time doing it. My favorite part about being a Vigilante is the fact that I am a part of a visitor’s or a tourist’s vacation memory… It’s our way of leaving a legacy. There’s something about seeing yourself on the big screen and knowing that that image of you will be kept forever, and you can share it with your grandkids,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins said members of the Vigilantes often develop their characters over time. Sometimes, these characters are based on real people.
“When we first started, we had no idea who we wanted to be or what we wanted to do. My husband has always been fascinated with grubby cowboy, so he developed his character from that. One of the things he plays the most is Frank McLaury from the O.K. Corral shootout. He likes to be loudmouth in our pickpocket skit, where he gets to be loud and obnoxious and fight with the other guys… Myself, I’ve played everything from a madame, to the bartender, to a grubby cowgirl extra in the bar… If I’m not cast in anything that day, and I want to get all ‘fancy dancy,’ then I take the time, and I put on my bustle dress with my corset and do my hair. I’ll work the hanging tree, and I’ll pose with the tourists for photos,” Wilkins said.