The Apache Spirit Ranch, just across from Schieffelin Monument on Allen Street, will be a unique combination of replicating the western towns of the 19th century and incorporating modern-day amenities.

"[The resort will not be] a muddy dirty kind of dude ranch, but more of a sophisticated environment," said Wolfgang Klien, architect and project manager of the ranch.

"That's what we're trying to create."

Klien's design is meant to allow tourists – and he's banking on tapping into a high interest in Tombstone from Germans — the ability to experience the Wild West.

The German interest toward the west is attributed in large part to 19th century German writer, Karl May.

May's narratives about life in the Wild West are still popular in Germany and, according to Barbara Highfield, a Tombstone real-estate broker who sold Stenger the land last June, helped Apache Spirit Ranch owner Peter Stenger develop the idea for the resort.

"Peter can remember as a child reading the books under the covers with a flashlight and how he grew up with Karl May books and that's part of his dream," Highfield said.

"Most any German who is interested in horseback riding or the Wild West has read Karl May."

The resort is designed to replicate Tombstone or a similar western town in the 1880s, during its early stages of development.

"We are trying to recreate 1880s Tombstone in terms of the exterior of the buildings, but also the decoration of the interiors," said Klien.

Klien said the ranch would offer features like massage rooms and poolside relaxation.

The resort is designed to allow visitors to experience living in the Wild West for about a week by doing activities like participating in chuck wagon rides and spending nights in front of a campfire.

Visitors can also explore the surrounding area on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle or in a stagecoach.

"We felt there is a type of dude ranch missing that will appeal to the Germans not only from [a cowboy's perspective], but from the [perspective] of the Native American," said Klien. "We are planning to educate the German tourists on the history and background of the American west."

The resort allows for larger numbers of tourists in Tombstone at any given time, which is good for the Tombstone economy, according to Robert Carreira, director for the Center of Economic Research at Cochise College.

Carreira says that more accommodations will increase the town's revenue from tourism.

The resort will begin taking reservations on April 1, and will be able to accommodate about 34 guests, according to Klien.

Klien says that he expects the months of October through May to be "mostly fully-booked," and that the summer "Will be just as busy because of the things that tourists from, especially Germany, will expect...and [they] are excited about the thought of coming to Arizona which invokes images about Karl May.

"[The resort] is really intended to be a slice of the culture and history of the west."