Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

The American Old West has a reputation of being a dangerous and hard time in history. Compared to our lives today, it was a very hard life for those people who chose to live on the frontier. It also was a dangerous time, with outlaws and thieves terrorizing ranchers and townsfolk alike. But some of the stories we know today didn't exactly happen as we think they did. Most of that misinformation comes from books and then films and television shows.

One of the most famous stories from the Old West is about the gunfight, on October 26, 1881, at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. The myth of this event has grown larger than the actual event itself (although it was a big deal at the time). The fact, that the Earp brothers faced off against the Clanton brothers, is not in dispute. However, the reasons for and the magnitude of the fighting are.

Wyatt Earp

The Earp brothers (Wyatt, Virgil, James and Morgan) were a part of a family that had been wandering around for years. In 1879 the brothers ended up in Tombstone where they hoped to establish themselves as businessmen. James opened a saloon and Virgil hoped to be a silver prospector. Morgan and Wyatt, however, were looking to make money through the burgeoning gambling houses. Virgil was sidetracked from his goal when he was offered the position of city marshal. Also joining them in Tombstone was Wyatt's good friend John "Doc" Holliday.

The Clanton brothers, on the other hand were ranchers who were also cattle rustlers and stage coach robbers. The Clanton family had been in Arizona for almost 10 years by 1881 and their ranch was doing well due to the growth of government contracts and the mining camps nearby. Even though the Clantons had been in Tombstone longer than many others, they, and other "country" people were quickly becoming the outsiders.

There was bad blood between the two almost from the very beginning. There were accusations, on both sides, of robbery and thievery, including the theft of Wyatt Earp's horse. A failed stage robbery seemed to be the final straw. Holliday, the Earp's friend, had been arrested by the county sheriff, a crony of the Clanton's, for the attempt. Even worse, the Earps were accused of being the masterminds behind the robbery. Holliday was released but the Earps did not forget, especially Wyatt.

Tombstone, AZ 1891

A few months later, the feud came to a head. On October 25, 1881 Ike Clanton, along with Tom McLaury (another family feuding with the Earps) arrived in Tombstone to spend the night visiting the many saloons in town. After a brief, but angry encounter with Holliday, Ike Clanton headed off to an all night poker game. The next morning, lacking sleep, Ike, still fuming about the previous evening was itching for a fight with the Earps.

At that point, Virgil, the city marshal, arrested Ike for carrying firearms. The anger on all sides did not subside then, they only escalated. By the time Ike's guns were confiscated and he paid his fine, more Clanton and McLaury brothers had arrived in town. As the day wore on, Ike became more determined to have it out with the Earps.

Finally, the Earps and the Clantons had their showdown. Whether they were just planning on arresting the gang or not is a little uncertain. The Earps were all armed, but not all of the Clanton gang were. The Earps approached their rivals and had them backed into a corner. In just minutes, three men were dead and three were wounded. The dead were Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton.

The Earps were charged with murder, but the judge decided that they were justified. But the Clantons were not done with their form of justice. In December of 1881, Virgil Wyatt was seriously wounded after an ambush and in March of 1882 Morgan Earp was killed in the local billiards parlor. Wyatt Earp, then sought his own justice killing four cowboys before leaving Arizona for good.

O.K. Corral 1882

The myth of this event has different sides. Some people think that the Earps were representing law enforcement and trying to tame the ever-increasing lawlessness of the frontier. Others saw the Clantons as victims of cold-blooded murder. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Also, most of the action took place on the main street of town, not at the O.K. Corral.

While the story made headlines across the country, Wyatt Earp also contributed to this myth many years later. Late in his life he worked with a young journalist name Stuart N. Lake. Lake wrote Earp's biography, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal which was published in 1931, two years after Earp's death. It made Earp out to be an heroic lawman of the frontier. This book was then used as the basis for the 1939 film Frontier Marshal.

The myth would be continued through numerous films and television shows for the next sixty years. Two of the most well known films are My Darling Clementine (1946) and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). The story has even made an appearance in two of televisions most famous science fiction shows - Doctor Who (1966) and Star Trek (1968). The most recent depictions were Tombstone (1993) and Wyatt Earp (1994).

Maybe it's time for another re-telling!

-- Post by Tracy