Gunfight at the OK Corral
Historical details reviewed by AZ Leisure Staff Writers on
Arguably the most famous gunfight in the history of the American West, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is more than just the clash between Wyatt Earp and the Clanton brothers. It is now recognized as a symbolic cultural battle between old and new, hired lawmen versus outlaw gunmen, western values against eastern business. Even so, the Gunfight remains an exciting example of western lore, entertaining and educating generation after generation of western aficionados. Depicted countless times in books and on film, the roughly 30 shots that rang out across the town of Tombstone, in the Arizona Territory, echo through history from October 26, 1881.
The Beginning
Tombstone at the time of the Gunfight was undergoing rapid expansion. The discovery of silver in the Goose Flats area of the territory by prospector Ed Schieffelin had turned the once desolate landscape into a bustling boomtown complete with saloons, a theater, gambling halls, fine hotels and restaurants that would rival those of San Francisco or New York. Chinese immigrant construction workers couldn't work fast enough to keep up with the demand for new shops and buildings by the hundreds of businessmen flooding the town with eastern big money. Innovations such as refrigeration and limited telephone service brought even more boomers to the town, seeking their fortune among the many mines and other industries popping up around Tombstone.
While the newcomers marveled at the progress of their newfound home, the area remained a desert landscape, home to cattle ranches and cattle rustlers, bank robbers and outlaws. Many of the stagecoaches bringing investors to the town were robbed on a regular basis, and the rowdy behavior of the cowboys in the saloons and gambling halls terrorized citizens and scared away business. The business owners, fearing the outlaw's behavior would drive away the miners and even the families that had moved west to join them, protected their interests by bringing in the law.
The Earps
Although Wyatt Earp has become the most famous of the brothers, Virgil Earp was Tombstone's Chief of Police at the time of the Gunfight and also served as a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Wyatt had experience as a lawman and sometimes served as a special policeman or deputy, while their brother Morgan also assisted in law enforcement. Their friend John "Doc" Holliday was a gambler and former dentist who became closely associated with the Earps. Together, Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan and Holliday would confront the Cowboys in the encounter that made all of them legends of the American West.
The Clantons
Ike and Billy Clanton were associated with the loosely organized group known as the Cowboys, as were brothers Tom and Frank McLaury. Members of the Cowboy faction were frequently accused of cattle rustling, stagecoach robbery and other lawlessness in the countryside surrounding Tombstone. Growing hostility between the Cowboys and the Earps eventually led to the confrontation involving the Clantons and McLaurys on October 26, 1881.
It Began With a Gun
Although Tombstone was in the heart of the Wild West, carrying firearms or other deadly weapons within the city limits was restricted by local ordinance. Visitors entering town were generally expected to leave their weapons at a saloon, hotel or livery stable. As Tombstone's Chief of Police, Virgil Earp was responsible for enforcing the ordinance, and the question of whether members of the Cowboy faction were illegally carrying weapons became central to the confrontation on October 26, 1881.
Tensions intensified during the night of October 25 and the morning of October 26, 1881. Ike Clanton had been drinking and making threats against the Earps and Doc Holliday. Later that morning, Virgil and Morgan Earp encountered Ike carrying weapons in town, disarmed him and took him before a judge. Ike was fined $25 for violating Tombstone's weapons ordinance and then set out to find his brother Billy and the McLaurys. Threats and confrontations between the two factions continued, making a showdown increasingly likely.
Finally, at about 3:00 p.m. on October 26, 1881, Virgil, Wyatt and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday confronted the Clantons and McLaurys in a vacant lot near the O.K. Corral. About 30 seconds later, roughly 30 shots had been fired and three men were dead. Billy Clanton and both Tom and Frank McLaury were killed, while Morgan and Virgil Earp were wounded and Doc Holliday was grazed. Wyatt Earp emerged unhurt. Witnesses disagreed about who fired first, and the question remains one of the most debated aspects of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Visit The O.K. Corral
Today, visitors to Tombstone can retrace the steps of the Clantons and McLaurys along Fremont Street or follow the route taken by the Earps and Doc Holliday as they approached the confrontation. The O.K. Corral Historic Complex presents daily reenactments of the famous shootout along with exhibits about Tombstone and the people involved. Visitors can also travel to Boothill Graveyard, the final resting place of Billy Clanton and brothers Tom and Frank McLaury, and judge for themselves what happened on October 26, 1881.
Whatever the truth may be, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral remains one of the most legendary gun battles in the history of the American West.
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