The Beginnings of the Bird Cage

The Beginnings of the Bird Cage

Owner Billy Hutchinson led it through some difficult times

Billy Hutchinson had a dream— an entertainment facility that would be the jewel of Tombstone. It took a year to get it done, but on December 24, 1881, the Bird Cage Theater had its grand opening. In the fast and furious opening months of the theater, Hutchinson took in tens of thousands of dollars—revenue that exceeded most businesses in Tombstone at that time. Yet he experienced personal financial troubles. Combining a number of city, county and state records from when the events happed, his grim plight was revealed by Michael Mihaljevich in his definitive study, The Bird Cage Theater: The Curtain Rises on Tombstone, Arizona’s National Treasure. According to Mihaljevich, Billy Hutchinson…
“Never paid his 1882 county tax bill for the Bird Cage and his residence.”
“Petitioned the city council to lighten his tax bill in spring 1882.”
“Mortgaged the Bird Cage three months after opening despite generating tens of thousands of dollars of revenue.”
“Failed to repay that mortgage and failed to appear in court after being seven months overdue.”
“Lost all the theater’s contents (stage scenery, tables, chairs, drink glasses, chandeliers, bar, bar utensils, iron safe, etc.) in a defaulted chattel mortgage in the spring of 1883.”
“Was unable to pay a $10 fine for carrying concealed weapons in spring of 1883 and had to make an arrangement with the court to defer payment for more than a month.”
“Opted to spend five days in jail instead of paying a $5 fine for a local infraction in summer 1883. He publicly announced the Bird Cage was closing for business on the same day.”
“Agreed to sell the Bird Cage. William Sprague reopened it in April 1884.”

The Bird Cage continued to be a Tombstone entertainment center for years—even as the town declined due to flooded mines and flagging silver finds. In early 1892, owner Joe Bignon closed the facility. It stayed shuttered for years.
A turn-of-the-century fiction book series by notable author Alfred Henry Lewis became a global sensation that lasted 50 years. It inspired motion pictures, festivals, and dozens of international
reprintings. Lewis incorporated the Bird Cage into the storylines, bringing massive attention that mobilized tourists to visit Tombstone at a time when auto-tourism was catching on. The Bird Cage drew tens of thousands of visitors to the town at a time when the Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the OK Corral gunfight was not promoted. This influx of tourism was” “the catalyst for the town’s historical development into what we know Tombstone to be today. The Bird Cage started it all.
Even if its beginnings were tumultuous.