Tombstone – the most famous event in the Old West!

On October 26, 1881, the most famous event in the Old West took place in Tombstone, Arizona. It has come to be known as the shooting at the OK Corral. More movies have been made about this event than any other in the Old West. And, true to Hollywood’s reputation, they didn’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.

In December 1879 the Earps arrived in Tombstone. His interest was to get a piece of the action that resulted from the mines. At this time the cowboys were the political power in Tombstone. And the money was good. For example, Sheriff Behan reportedly made about $40,000 a year. That equates to around $700,000 today.

The shooting was actually a turf fight between two gangs. The cowboys were Democrats, country people and the establishment. The Earps were Republicans, city folk, and freshmen.

The Earp gang was made up of more than Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil, and Doc. There were two other Earp brothers: James and Warren. Also, there was Bat Masterson and Luke Short. Though not as well known, Luke Short was the gunslinger that Wyatt and Bat were.

For a variety of reasons, only four members of the Earp gang were involved in the shooting. James Earp had had enough of shooting in the Civil War. Warren Earp had been shot in a riot in Mexico and was staying with his parents in California. Bat Masterson had left to help his brother, James, in Dodge City. And Luke Short had killed a man in self-defense a few months before. And he had left town to avoid being shot in the back by one of the man’s friends.

After two years of threats and harsh talks, the feud reached its fever pitch. A group of cowboys led by the Clantons, who had been a thorn in the Earps’ side, were illegally carrying guns. Virgil Earp, the town’s Marshall, delegated lighthouse dealers Wyatt and Morgan and gambler Doc Holliday to help him carry off the weapons.

Now this is where the myth starts to run amok. First of all… the shooting did not take place at the OK Corral. It happened on a vacant lot a block away. The lot was only 15 feet wide with buildings on either side. At the time of the shooting, the lot was packed with 9 men and 2 horses. And the men were only two meters from each other.

Each member of the Earp group likely approached the confrontation with different objectives. Virgil was looking for a peaceful end. He had Doc’s cane in his gun hand. Wyatt probably wanted to split their heads open with his gun. He had removed it from the holster into his coat pocket. But Doc wanted a shootout. And Morgan, a hothead, probably wanted one, too.

Some movies have the fight forever in Tombstone. It lasted only 30 seconds. But during those 30 seconds more than 30 shots were fired.

Cowboys Billy Clanton and brothers Frank and Tom McLaury were killed. Ike Clanton had a minor neck injury. Virgil Earp was shot in the leg. Morgan was shot in the arm. And Doc Holliday had a minor hip injury. Wyatt, as was the story throughout his life, was unscathed.

After the shootout, the tide turned against the Earps. At a preliminary hearing, Wyatt and Doc appeared as defendants. Virgil and Morgan were unable to be there due to their injuries. Although there was insufficient evidence for a trial, Virgil Earp was fired as town constable and Wyatt was forced to abandon his lighthouse game on the Oriental.

In December Virgilio was shot by some cowboys… losing the use of his right arm. And three months later, Morgan was killed while playing pool… again by cowboys.

The town of Tombstone was comfortable with cowboys and their ways. And Earp’s presence was causing problems with the status quo. So, upon receiving the message, the Earps left town.

However, Wyatt returned, and with some of his friends, he matched the sheet music to the jeans. Now, there is a difference of opinion as to how many cowboys he actually killed, but several of them died.