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After having traveled to a number of mining
camps in Canada,
Nevada, and
Arizona,
Nellie wound up in Tombstone in 1880. Upon her arrival, she first ran a
boot and shoe store briefly before opening the Russ House Restaurant and
Boarding House. Named for the popular San Francisco restaurant of the same
name, Nellie served her meals for just 50 cents. Because sanitation was
such an issue in restaurants, she advertised her restaurant as having "no
cockroaches in my kitchen and the flour is clean."
According to one popular legend, when a client complained about Nellie’s
cooking,
Doc Holliday was present. When
Holliday drew his side arm and asked the customer to repeat what he
had said, the embarrassed customer replied, "Best I ever ate.”
Nellie earned a
reputation in
Tombstone, not only as an
entrepreneur, but also as a miner and an angel of mercy, as she tirelessly
gave both her time and money to the charities of the city. Nellie moved on
to other mining camps from
Tombstone in 1886 and sold
the Russ House.
Afterwards, the building
continued to serve as a boarding house until the late 1950’s. At that
time, it was renovated and became
Nellie Cashman's
Restaurant.
Today, this quaint
restaurant, located at 117 South 5th Street serves breakfast, lunch, and
dinner.
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, © May, 2007
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