On October 26, 1881, Fly was in a unique position, as the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral actually took place just off Fremont Street between his studio and Jersey’s Livery Stable. During the shootout, Cochise County Sheriff John Behan cowered inside the studio, watching the gunplay, only to be joined by Ike Clanton who fled in terror proclaiming he was unarmed.  When the smoke cleared, it was Fly, armed with a Henry rifle, who disarmed a dying Billy Clanton. For some strange reason Fly did not photograph the aftermath of the shootout, but legend has it that he was threatened by one of the Earp's if he did.

Somewhere along the line, Camillus and Mary adopted a little girl they called Kitty, and Mary continued to run the boarding house and studio as Camillus traveled around the area taking photographs. While her husband was out, she acted as one of the few female photographers of the times, taking pictures of anyone who could pay the studio price of 35 cents.

In March, 1886, Camillus accompanied General George Crook to the Canyon de Los Embudos for the negotiations with Geronimo. He became most famous for the photographs  of the negotiations, Geronimo and the other wild Apaches he took on March 25 and 26th.

However, at the same time, Fly had become a heavy drinker and the year after these famous photographs were taken, his wife Mary, took their child and separated from her husband.  He then left Tombstone on December 17, 1887 to tour Arizona with his photographs and briefly established a studio in Phoenix in 1893. However, the following year, he returned to the area. In the meantime, Mary continued to run the studio in Tombstone during his absence.