The gunfight at the O.K. Corral lasted approximately thirty seconds. When it ended on October 26, 1881, three men lay dead or dying in a vacant lot near Tombstone, Arizona's commercial corral. Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, and their friend Doc Holliday had faced five members of the Clanton-McLaury gang in what became the most mythologized moment in the history of the American West. The fight was actually the climax of a longstanding feud between the Earps - lawmen with uncertain ethics - and the 'Cowboys,' a loose gang of ranchers, rustlers, and outlaws. In reality, it wasn't fought at the O.K. Corral but in a narrow lot on Fremont Street nearby. The aftermath included murder, vendetta, and flight. The legend, built by dime novels, Hollywood, and Tombstone's tourism industry, turned thirty seconds of violence into the defining image of frontier justice.
Tombstone in 1881 was a boomtown of perhaps 7,000 people, built on silver mining and sustained by cowboys who drove cattle through from Mexico - many of them stolen. The Earp brothers arrived seeking fortune: Wyatt dealt faro and served as deputy sheriff; Virgil became town marshal; Morgan was a shotgun messenger and special policeman. Doc Holliday, a tubercular dentist turned gambler, was Wyatt's closest friend. The 'Cowboys' - the Clantons, McLaurys, and their associates - represented the rural ranching faction that clashed with town authority. Insults, accusations of stage robbery, and personal grudges escalated. By October, both sides were looking for a fight.
On October 26, 1881, word reached Virgil Earp that armed Cowboys were gathering in a vacant lot near the O.K. Corral. He deputized Wyatt and Morgan and asked Holliday to help. The four men walked down Fremont Street and confronted five Cowboys: Ike and Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, and Billy Claiborne. Virgil reportedly called for them to throw up their hands. What happened next is disputed - both sides claimed the other fired first. In approximately thirty seconds, some thirty shots were fired. Billy Clanton and both McLaurys were killed. Virgil, Morgan, and Holliday were wounded. Only Wyatt emerged untouched.
The Earps were charged with murder but exonerated at a preliminary hearing. The Cowboys didn't accept the verdict. On December 28, 1881, Virgil was ambushed and permanently maimed. On March 18, 1882, Morgan was shot through a window while playing billiards - he died within an hour. Wyatt embarked on what became known as the 'Vendetta Ride,' hunting down those he blamed for his brothers' fates. He killed at least three men, possibly more, before fleeing Arizona with warrants for his arrest. He would never return. The 'good guys' and 'bad guys' of the O.K. Corral story were considerably more ambiguous than legend suggests.
The gunfight became famous almost immediately, covered by newspapers across the country. Dime novels embellished it. Wyatt Earp lived until 1929, long enough to consult on early Hollywood Westerns and influence how he would be remembered. Stuart Lake's 1931 biography 'Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal' invented much of the legend. The 1957 film 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' and later movies solidified the myth. In reality, the Earps were not always lawful, the Cowboys were not always criminal, and the fight itself was a messy, ambiguous few seconds of violence. But the legend - the iconic showdown between lawmen and outlaws - defines how Americans imagine the Old West.
Tombstone, Arizona, 'The Town Too Tough to Die,' preserves its Wild West heritage with enthusiasm. The O.K. Corral Historic Complex, actually located on the site of the original Tombstone Livery, recreates the gunfight through exhibits and daily reenactments. The actual gunfight site is in a vacant lot on Fremont Street, marked by life-size figures of the participants. Boothill Graveyard contains the graves of the McLaurys and Billy Clanton. Allen Street, the main drag, features saloons, shops, and staged shootouts. The Bird Cage Theatre, Rose Tree Inn, and other historic buildings can be toured. Tombstone is 70 miles southeast of Tucson; Tucson International Airport (TUS) is the nearest major airport. October brings the anniversary celebration and 'Helldorado Days.' The town is unabashedly touristy, but the desert setting and genuine history make it compelling.
Located at 31.71°N, 110.07°W in Cochise County, Arizona, about 70 miles southeast of Tucson. From altitude, Tombstone appears as a small town in the high desert grasslands of southeastern Arizona. The Dragoon Mountains rise to the east; the Huachuca Mountains to the west. The landscape of mesquite and desert scrub has changed little since 1881.