I am spending two day in Tombstone, Arizona with Jeanne and Willie Stecher. We just finished watching the Gunfight at the O. K. Corral, watching the presentation of the history of Tombstone at Tombstone's Historama, looking at some of musuem sites in the Gunfight Stage area. We decided to walk down Allen Street and have lunch at The Crystal Palace Saloon and Restaurant.
Jeanne ordered the BLT with Fries, Willie
chose the Pot Roast Sandwich with mashed potatoes and corn….with lots of
gravy…it looked good. I decided to try
the Patty Melt which would not make my top 10 List but was good with cole slaw.
The food wasn't anything out of the ordinary but it was very good.
Here's my one negative comment about this eatery. I put my meal on my credit card. I have noticed as I posted the charge to my accounting program that I was charged $1 to use my credit card. I do not approve of businesses that do this. At the very least, warm me but I didn't see any signs anywhere that stated there would be a charged for using my credit card..or even one that said all credit cards must be for a $10 plus charge. I had plenty of cash. Given the options I could have made a choice. I am still a big girl.
I most likely will never eat there again or direct people there for a meal when I am visiting Tombstone. I guess to make a "buck" that business gave up lots of money from my future visits.
Crystal Palace Saloon and Restaurant
436 E. Allen Street
Tombstone, Arizona
(520) 457-3611
Hours: Daily
11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
History:
In
1880, Benjamin Wehrfritz and Seigfried Tribolet opened the Golden Eagle Brewery
on the corner of 5th and Allen. They
featured a German style lunch offering Swiss and limburger cheese, sardines,
pigs feet, smoked halibut, herring, head cheese and obviously, cold beer. Later, it was called the Fredericksburg Lager
Beer Depot. The Golden Eagle Brewery was
burned in the 1882 fire. When it was
rebuilt, it was a much larger two story Palace Saloon. Eighty feet were devoted to the Crystal
Palace Saloon. It was lavishly furnished
and showcased a fountain and goldfish pond in the center of the room. Dr. George Goodfellow, who became renowned
for his treatment of gunshot wounds, had an office on the second floor as did
Marshal Virgil Earp. The Crystal Palace
has had its share of ups and downs over the years. In 1914, state prohibition closed all the
saloons and in 1915 it was renovated and reopened as a theatre. It featured variety shows, comedies, dramas
and motion pictures. A three reel motion
picture shown was Universal’s “the Tenth Commandment”. After prohibition the Crystal Palace Saloon
was reopened. In the early 1960s, the
Crystal Palace was purchased by Tombstone Historic Adventures. They restored the Crystal Palace as it was in
the 1880s. The Crystal Palace sell sits
in its original location and remains a popular saloon in Tombstone.
- Tombstone's Historic Locations
Tombstone Map - History - Walking Tour
Tombstone Restoration Commission
Pages 29-30
