Historical Study: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

I'm about a month into my western phase here, taking in the historical era on all fronts (books, video games, music, tv) and loving every minute of it. Last night I watched the popular western film, Tombstone and was greatly inspired by the historical event. This is actually not the first time I've seen the movie that was released in 1993 starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliot, and Bill Paxton. The last few times I've watched it I wasn't very impressed with the film. Well this time around, being a lot more in-tuned to the Old West I was more inspired then ever. It's funny how sometimes it takes a few run-thrus to really appreciate something, and that was certainly the case for this movie. The film is the epitome of an iconic Western movie, with it's saloons, gambling, shoot-outs, whiskey, cigars, spur-boots, the works!

The film is no doubt an over fabrication of the actual event that happened (which is the case for most movies) but still brought to light several interesting things for me. The first was regarding the "cowboy" gang that existed in the Arizona region during the 1870s. This band of outlaws is often considered one of America's first organized crime syndicates, many years prior to the iconic mafias of the 1920s. This movie especially accentuates the lawlessness that occurred during this time, where small towns such as Deadwood, Dodge City, or Tombstone were truly battlefields. Outlaws and bandits ran freely with no regulations on firearms, and it took strong sheriffs and lawmen to stand up to them. It was Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, and their friend Doc Holliday who famously stood up the lawlessness within the region. 

The Cochise County Cowboys

It's funny how our depiction of a cowboy is usually some sort of sharp-shooting hero portrayed by movie stars such as John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. However the term originally began as someone who rustled cows within a ranch. This became a very essential and prosperous trade in the west where the vast array of land was ideal for herding cows. However it often required people with more rugged and outdoorsmen skills, especially when moving a herd from one location to another. Considering this profession it's no surprise that the term "cowboy" quickly expanded beyond rustlers into anyone who had a rugged persona. These characters became common place in the lawlessness of the Wild West, and while there were good cowboys there were also bad cowboys. 

After the Civil War, the open frontier of the west offered an ideal location for gangs of outlaws and bandits to assemble and find fortune. Many notable gangs arose during this time such as the infamous Jesse James gang and the Butch Cassidy Wild Bunch (which maybe I'll have a further dive into). But for now I want to focus on the Cochise County Cowboys of the southern Arizona territory. What began as a group of Confederate sympathizers quickly organized into a strong network of outlaws surrounding the booming city of Tombstone. This group of raiders and horse-thieves garnished the support of local sheriff, Johnny Behan which strengthened their foothold on the territory. 

By the time Wyatt Earp arrived in the city of Tombstone in 1879, it was completely under the control of the Cochise County Cowboys. The city was a breeding ground of casinos and lawlessness and it took Wyatt Earp and his brothers to establish some order. Around this time it was estimated the gang had around 300 members including notorious members such as Billy Claiborne, Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Curly Bill Brocious, and Johnny Ringo. The dispute between the gang and the Earps hit it's boiling point when Virgil Earp became the town's sheriff and established a weapon ordinance prohibiting firearms in town. 

Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday

Arguably one of the most famous figures of the Old West, Wyatt Earp lived a very adventurous life as a lawman and gambler. He traveled throughout many booming towns in the west seeking fortune and fame and certaintly did acheive this and more. Born in Illinois, 1848 his first true rise to fame was in 1874 as a lawman in the booming city of Wichita, Kansas. In 1878 he relocated to Dodge City, Kansas to join his brothers in the booming town. While there he became city marshal and furthered his reputation throughout the west. It was also during this time while hunting down an outlaw that he met the famous Doc Holliday, who apparently saved Wyatt Earps life and the two became good friends. They reunited when Wyatt Earp relocated to Tombstone, AZ in 1879 to seek new fortune.  

Doc Holliday was a dentist from Georgia, however at the young age of 21 he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. In 1874 he decided to move out west with hopes that the warmer weather would ease his symptoms, yet more likely with intentions of seeking adventure in his final years. Moving to Dallas, Doc Holliday partook in gambling and numerous gunfight confrontations of which he excelled at both. He lived in New Mexico for a while, trying to re-establish his dentist practice yet was more engaged by drinking and gambling. After befriending Wyatt Earp he decided to join him at Tombstone, to seek a fortune for himself.    

The Shootout and the Aftermath 

The city of Tombstone, Arizona exploded by 1879 when silver was discovered in the region. It attracted visitors from all over the southwest seeking fortune, many of which were the outlaw Cochise Cowboys of the territory. These outlaws would often come into town to cash in on their smuggling from Mexico or various other robberies. The city became a boomtown of saloons, casinos, and brothels and attracted a very rowdy bunch. In 1879 the famous marshal Wyatt Earp arrived into town with his brothers, eager to put aside his lawman duties and find fortune thru gambling and business endeavors. It did not take long for them to find dispute with the local cowboy ranchers of the region. 

Wyatt's brother Virgil became marshal of the town rather quickly which strengthened the Earp brother's position in the town, yet also strengthened their enemies. They were quickly opposed by the Cochise County sheriff, Johnny Behan who saw them as northern Yankee folk in a land of former Confederates. Most of the confrontations took place in saloons where the cowboy outlaws such as Tom and Frank McLaury, Curly Bill Brocious, Johnny Ringo, and the Clanton brothers got in various scuffles and arguments with the Earp brothers. The tension got even worse when Virgil Earp passed an ordinance that disallowed firearms in town. 

The tension finally hit it's boiling point after a late game of poker in which a belligerently drunk Ike Clanton beginning threatening to kill the Earp brothers. The next day he was joined by several of his gang members including Tom and Frank McLaury, Billy Claiborne, and Ike's younger brother Billy. The McLaury brothers refused to hand over their arms and went to collect Ike from the courthouse and regrouped at the O.K Corral. At this point the gang was fuming and ready to confront the Earp brothers. Meanwhile Marshal Virgil Earp knew he had to take action to disarm the gang for breaking the law. He gathered the support of his brothers Wyatt Earp and Morgan Earp and their friend Doc Holliday and the four went to confront the outlaws. 

Virgil Earp gave the gang a warning, telling them he intended to disarm them, at which point the gang reached for their guns. At this point the gunfight ensued for about 30 seconds with both ends exchanging fire (approx 30 gunshots). Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne were unarmed and ran from the fight while the McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton were shot dead. Lawmen Virgil was shot in the calf, Morgan Earp was shot in the shoulder, and Doc Holliday was grazed in the hip. Wyatt Earp was the lone lawman left untouched by the gunfire. The gun battle only intensified the dispute however, and soon after Ike Clanton pressed charges against the Earp Brothers. He lost the case however since the Earp brothers were deemed to be acting within the law.

The aftermath of the gunfight was severe and resulted in an ambush of Virgil Warp by the cowboys which he barely survived. Then the murder of Morgan Earp who was shot thru a glass window while playing billiards at a saloon by an unidentified shooter. This resulted in the personal vendetta of Wyatt Earp who took his brother's place a Marshall. Wyatt Earp then went on a hunting spree for the Cochise Cowboys with his pal Doc Holliday and several federal agents. For nearly a month Earp's posse searched Cochise county for guilty culprits and members of the cowboy gang. By the end of it all they had killed 4 cowboy members, including Curly Bill Brocious. Wyatt Earp was later accused of acting outside the law and hunted by his longtime enemy sheriff Behan to be arrested. At this point Wyatt Earp ended his vendetta and fled to New Mexico and later relocated in Colorado. Despite having to leave town the Earp brothers established law-and-order in Tombstone and shortly after their vendetta, the Cochise Cowboys faded into diminishment.