Tombstone, Arizona Shippensburg University
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Trent Otis © 2011 Applied GIS with Dr. Drzyzga Tombstone, Arizona Shippensburg University Photo © dailyventure.com. Photographer unknown. Tombstone and the Old West The People Wyatt Earp Virgil and Morgan Earp Tombstone established itself as a boomtown after The tragedy that occurred at Tombstone, Arizona involved Wyatt has been most often Virgil and Morgan Earp are the silver was discovered in a local mine in 1877. It quickly characters who were as interesting as the time period. From characterized as a strict, no nonsense brothers of Wyatt. Virgil held various became a prospering community which attracted all lawmen turned silver prospectors, dentists turned gam- person who prefered to settle disputes law enforcement positions throughout walks of life. blers, outlaws and worse, these men all had their stakes in with words rather than confrontation. his life and was appointed as a Deputy the events at Tombstone. Following are short descriptions U.S Marshal before moving to of these men. Wyatt is arguably one of the most Tombstone. Later on, he was The American Old West has captured the minds and inuential individuals in the Old West. appointed as acting marshal for the imaginations of the American people since the West He encoutered some initial hardship in town after the current marshal was became more civilized in the late 1800s to early 1900s. his life when his rst wife died. accidentally slain by one of the Earp In the early 1880s, a specic event occurred that would Eventually, his sutuation improved and antagonists. capture the essence of the old west in one story. A he became an eective lawman in the Midwest before series of events culminated in a gunght that lasted eventually coming into contact with Doc Holliday in Colo- Most accounts of Morgan’s life are not less than a minute but inspired lmmakers, historians, rado after his life took him to gambling. Wyatt moved to as detailed as Virgil’s. He held a law Tombstone with his brothers Virgil and Morgan in 1879 enforcement position before moving and biographers, among others, for the next century. where he held various law enforcement positions and was to Tombstone, where he was Here we have a compact retelling of that story with as involved in gambling and invested in local businesses. appointed as Deputy Marshal by Virgil. much historical accuracy as possible from the historical records of an event that inspired more ction than A view of Tombstone from the southeast, circa 1880 (Cohen, 2003). truth. John Henry “Doc” Holliday The Clanton-McLaury Gang The O.K. Corral The Shootout Holliday was aicted with Also locally known in Tombstone as “The Cowboys,” these This is the main event that catapulted Wyatt to near- On a cold October 26th afternoon in 1881, Sheri John Visitor Center tuberculosis in his early years as a men were the main antagonists for the Earp family in legendary fame in the stories of the Old West and sparked Behan confronted the Cowboys and made a fruitless dentist, presumably by a sick patient. Tombstone. The cowboys were known as outlaws, cattle the inspiration for a plethora of Hollywood renditions of the attempt to disarm them. Later, the Earps, who were Visitor Center Eventually, Doc, as he was normally rustlers, and highwaymen. Their reputation was so bad with events in Tombstone. The gunght at the O.K. Corral actually charged with enforcing the law in Tombstone at the time, referred to by his friends and acquain- the locals that it was considered an insult to call a legitimate happened in an empty lot behind the Corral itself, next to sought to disarm the men and thus enforce the city law. Visitor Center tances, moved to the drier western cattleman in that area a Cowboy. Fly’s Photography Studio. 1 Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan, and Holliday met on Fremont Street 2 states in the hope that the arid climate at about 2:30 pm and turned the corner to confront Visitor Center would extend his life. Doc lived the life Several of their members, including Ike and William Clanton The night before the gunght, many of the men involved in and disarm the Cowboys at about 2:45. of a gambler and had the reputation of and Frank McLaury were investigated by the Earp brothers the conict were playing poker at the Oriental Saloon. a gunghter; although common and others for the theft of cattle and government mules Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan and Holliday were part of the game. After a short verbal confrontation, Tom McLaury drew his accounts of his life report that he only killed two men in among other charges. None of those charges were substan- Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury, two members of the Cowboy gun which set o a barrage of about thirty shots during a such a fashion. His brash and reckless attitude with which tiated, and the men still roamed free. These investigations group, were also in attendance. Sheri John Behan was also span of less than a minute. After the dust settled, Virgil, he is normally portrayed was due to his opinion that it was eventually led to the free exchange of threats between the involved. Due to prior tensions between the two groups, Ike Morgan, and Holliday were wounded, Billy Clanton, Frank better to die in a gunght than die of tuberculosis. Clantons and McLaurys towards the Earp brothers and and Tom threatened the Earps and Holliday throughout the and Tom McLaury were dead. Wyatt Earp remained Although he lived a dangerous life, tuberculosis ironically Holliday, and would supply the tension between the two night. As a result, the next day the Cowboys were well unharmed. This prompted various forms of retribution took his life in a hospital in Colorado. groups that led to the legendary gunght at the O.K. Corral. armed, which was banned in Tombstone. Town law from the surviving members of the Cowboys against the prohibited the open carrying of arms within the city limits. Earp family and Holliday. The Earp Trials Immediately following the conict, the injured lawmen and Holliday were taken away for treatment. Sherri Behan attempted to arrest Wyatt on charges of murder. Wyatt refused because Behan misled them prior to the conict. Specically, Behan stated that he disarmed the Cowboys before the ght. Eventually, formal charges against the Earps and Holliday were led by Ike Clanton. The prosecution claimed that the Earp party did not give the slain men enough time to surrender their arms before the shooting began and that Holliday red the rst shot. The trial, ruled by Justice of the Peace Wells W. Spicer, eventually led to the decision in favor of the Earp party, mainly due to the fact that the Cowboys Tombstone, Arizona failed to heed Behan’s request to disarm prior to the confrontation. Judge Spicer also ruled that the Earp party was fully justied in their actions due to the threats made by the Clantons. Fly’s Photography Studio Fremont Street Murder on the streets of Tombstone City Hall 2 The Earp party did not receive retribution from the Cowboys 1 through the legal system. Retribution was enacted in other ways. About four weeks after the trial, there was an assassi- nation attempt on Virgil, 3 which he survived, but lost the use of his left arm for the rest of his life. Though the Cowboys could not be formally charged with the crime, the Chinese Quarter Earps suspected that the group was involved. The Earp’s suering did not stop there. Later, in March of 1882, Morgan Earp was shot in the back through a barroom window during a game of pool. 4 He died within the hour. 3rd. Street 3rd. 4th Street These events set Wyatt on what would become known as 4 his “Vendetta Ride” in which Wyatt, Holliday, and a few others who were sympathetic to Wyatt’s cause set o for the suspects. During this quest for vengeance, the group succeeded in tracking down and slaying three suspects: Frank Stilwell, "Indian Charlie," and “Curly Bill” Brocius. 3 The O.K. Corral Allen Street The Aftermath Although acting with the powers of a United States Marshal, Wyatt’s vegeance resulted in him eventually facing charges for murder in the Arizona territories. The group then ed to the New Mexico territories before splitting up. The justice system in New Mexico, however, was still less dened and less reliable than in other portions of the United States, and the Earps feared for an unfair trial so they relocated to Colorado. State ocials requested that Wyatt be extradited to Arizona to face legal charges but Colorado denied the request. Sources: Boyer G.G (1976) Postscripts to Historical Fiction about Wyatt Earp in Tombstone. Arizona and the West Vol. 18,3. Cohen, H.I (2003). Wyatt Earp at the O.K Corral: Six Versions. The Journal of American Culture. Volume 26,2. Scale (Feet) Linder, D (2005) The O. K. Corral Trial ("Trial of Wyatt Earp"**). Available at: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/earp/earphome.html 0 50 100 150 Background on the Earps and Holliday obtained through: Wikipedia (2011) Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, - Wood Frame Structures - Iron Structures - Stables - Adobe Structures - Special Structures John Holliday (Respectively). Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org Earp and Holliday Photographs from Linder, D. (2005). Tombstone map compiled from 1886 Tombstone Map, © Sanborn Map and Publishing (1886). .