Sign enthusiasts, like Jude Cook, are drawn to Tucson's historic neon skies.

Cook has been making signs since the mid-1970s. He started off as a sign painter, but founded his own company, Cook and Co., shortly thereafter.

Within the past decade, he's built countless neon signs, in part because of neon's ability to mesmerize the onlooker.

"There's nothing you can do that can catch the intensity of neon," said Cook. "It's such a pure advertising form that it's hard to ignore. Then you look at it historically, it started in about – I think they brought it to the United States in about 1925."

The cinematic-masterpiece Tombstone paints the Southern Arizona town as a haven for cowboys, criminals and shoot-outs.

Although Tombstone ostensibly had one of the highest murder rates in the United States during its heyday, there's more than meets the eye. 

On the southern edge of the town are the remnants of a now-defunct silver and gold mine, one that put Tombstone on the map.  

And for those who know the history of Tombstone, that fact is crucial to the town's long-time survival.

The mission of the U of A's Army ROTC program is to commission future officer leadership for the military and to motivate young people to become better citizens.

Training consists of leadership development and tactical exercises that sharpen cadets' minds in military training.

What used to be limestone coating the outside of the east tower was replaced with concrete in the early 1900s. Now, water seeps underneath the thin exterior, damaging the adobe brick.

Architect Bob Vint had hopes of restoring the east bell tower this spring, but they diminished when the mission's source of funding dried up.

"Unfortunately, Phoenix, contingent on the State Legislature, raided the Heritage Fund and swept it into the General Fund, so we lost a matching grant that was going to support the continuation of the restoration of the east tower," said Vint.