The Bisbee massacre occurred in Bisbee, Arizona, on December 8, 1883, when six outlaws who were part of the Cochise County Cowboys robbed a general store. During the robbery, members of the gang killed four people, including a lawman and a pregnant woman. Six men were convicted of the crime. John Heath, who was accused of organizing the robbery, was tried separately and sentenced to life in prison. Unsatisfied with Heath's sentence, a lynch mob forcibly removed him from jail and hanged him from a telegraph pole on February 22, 1884. The other five men were executed on March 28, 1884. They were the first criminals to be legally hanged in Tombstone.

According to Guinness World Records, the world's largest rosebush was planted in Tombstone in 1885 by Mary Gee, wife of mining engineer Henry Gee, who worked for the Vizina Mining Co. Mary's family sent the homesick bride a box of rooted cuttings from her home country. The Lady Banksia rose, which originated in Scotland, still flourishes in the city's sunny climate and covers 9,000 square feet. Its gnarled trunk is about 12 feet around.

In the mid-1880s, the silver mines penetrated the water table and the mining companies made significant investments in specialized pumps, but a fire in 1886 destroyed the Grand Central hoist and the pumping plant. Shortly afterward, the price of silver fell to 90 cents an ounce, making it unprofitable to rebuild the costly pumps. The city nearly became a ghost town, saved only because it was the Cochise County seat until 1929.

Unsuccessful in his efforts as a prospector, John Brackett "Pie" Allen (1818-1899) earned his nickname baking pies for settlers and soldiers in Arizona Territory. His business success made him a prominent territorial citizen, and he served three terms in the Arizona Territorial Legislature.