On a morning in late October, 1881, dawn came early to a town in the Old West that had a reputation as being, “a town too tough to die…” In time it did die, but in doing so it became one of the legendary ghost towns of the West. Its fabled status is the direct result of a gunfight that took place on that day. The town was called Tombstone, the newspaper was the Epitaph, and this is what they wrote on that fateful day…
“The shooting created great excitement, and the street was immediately filled with people. Ike Clanton (who had run from the fracas) was captured and taken to jail. The feeling of the better class of citizens is that the Marshal and his posse acted solely in the right in attempting to disarm the cowboys and that it was a case of kill or be killed.”
The gunfight the newspaper was describing was the gunfight at the O. K. Corral. The participants included Clanton’s gang, including the McLowery’s, fabled lawman, Wyatt Earp, two of his brothers, Morgan and Virgil, as well as John Henry (Doc) Holliday, not a medical doctor but a dentist. Holliday was the only one to escape without a scratch. The town sheriff was also there. He was Sheriff Johnny Behan, who tried his hand at keeping the peace before the fight began.
Lambert Florin wrote an incredible book called “Ghost Towns of The West.” It was a Promontory Book published in 1970 by Galahad Books, New York, the copyright held by Superior Publishing Company. In his introduction, he quotes one definition of “ghost”: “A shadowy semblance of its former self.” Of all the ghost towns written about in the 800-plus pages of this magnificent collection, this place is very much alive today. I would also imagine that a few ghosts might linger around the stables of the O. K. Corral. It is the famous Tombstone, Arizona. This encyclopedia chronicles the once vibrant towns that dotted the landscape of the Old West. The book also features photographs of what remains of these towns. For obvious historical reasons, the yard at the O. K. Corral remains fairly intact with its large adobe wall and its swinging gate closed in the photo.
This is how the author described the events leading up to and including one of the Old West’s most famous moments in time. “Fight climaxed long standing feud between Ike Clanton’s cowboys and three Earp brothers. Clanton’s gang had been vowing to ‘get’ the Earps and had so annoyed the Marshal and his brothers that he decided to put an end to it once and for all. As the brothers and Doc Holliday headed for O. K. Corral they saw Sheriff Behan trying to keep the peace by asking the Clantons and McLowery’s to disarm. When the Marshal and his party got near enough, he added his order, ‘Boys, throw up your hands, I want you to give up your shooters.’ At this Frank McLowery drew his weapon but was a split second too slow, was shot just above the waist by Wyatt Earp. This set off a barrage of gunfire. When the smoke cleared away three men were dead and two wounded.”
You might remember watching the 1957 film, Gunfight At The O. K. Corral that starred Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman and DeForest Kelly. Here’s where it gets strange. DeForest Kelly later went on to star in the original Star Trekseries as the starship doctor, Leonard McCoy, reminiscent of an old fashioned country doctor. He reminded us of the parent who bemoaned a rapidly-changing world in favor of the simple past. He was always ready to play the role of the Captain’s conscience, the one to remind him of the right thing to do, but not always listened to.
In one episode, the crew find themselves on an alien planet re-living the fight at the O. K. Corral. An alien intelligence has fabricated the town. The crew doesn’t get to be the good guys, though. They get to play the part of the Clanton gang.
In Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia was this about Marshall Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (1848-1929)
“American frontiersman and law enforcement officer, born in Monmouth, Ill. In 1876, Earp, who had been a stagecoach driver, railroad construction worker, surveyor, buffalo hunter, and policeman, became chief deputy marshal of Dodge City, Kansas, a lawless frontier town. Within a year, having brought relative peace to Dodge City, he moved on to Deadwood in the Dakota Territory. There he furthered his reputation as a gunfighter, first as deputy sheriff of Pima Co. and later as deputy United States marshal for the entire Arizona Territory. Earp left Tombstone in 1882 to live the rest of his life in various cities of the American West, looking after his extensive real estate and mining interests. Since his death he has become a legendary figure, hero of numerous Western novels, television programs, and motion pictures.”
One of the more recent film versions is the 1993 film, Tombstone that starred Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. Kilmer played the gambler Doc Holliday and really gave us a sense of how ill the dentist was. He had moved to Arizona, leaving his practice in Atlanta in favor of Arizona’s drier climate. He had tuberculosis. He was also the only one to use a shotgun during the famed shootout. He succumbed to the disease on November 8th, 1887, at the age of 35.
I have two conflicting dates for the events of the day: one being October 26th, and the other being October 27th, 1881.
This is how author Lambert Florin described one of the many photos featured in his coffee-table book. “Old chains are draped across hitching rail of O. K. Corral Stable. Original building was in bad state of repair few years after famous shooting scrape in yard, was repaired and restored with authentic atmosphere. Visitors can now browse around stable and yard, almost hearing again fusillade of shots.”
Some have romanticized the Old West. I wouldn’t call the events that day “romantic,” but it was one of the many times that law and order was maintained in a lawless part of the United States.”
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Don Jackson
This is a great story of tombstone my husband has the movie .Its a kind of romantic storie in a sence the way thing fall in to place for the ending at the coral and a great topic as usally for a great show a a faithful listener ……….Karon
- Karon Hill