The Legend of the OK Corral

Finally the stuff that movie legends are made of - the OK Corral where the single most bloody and most celebrated episode in Tombstone's rugged history took place.

Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Virgil and Morgan, along with Doc Holliday ended once and for all the murder sprees, cattle rustling and highway robbery of the Clanton/McLowery Boys.  Along with the James Gang in Minnesota, the OK Corral remains the classic massacre of western outlaws.

Prior to the OK Corral shootout, Tombstone was known mostly for its mines, and millionaire-citizen Ed Schieffelin.  In one single day, it became the gunfire capital of the Southwest, and legendary as the place where the gunsmoke never clears.

Then Earp as city Marshall and the Clanton had been feuding for the longest in American history.  Earp's brothers along with Marshall Williams, the Tombstone agent for Wells Fargo and the ailing Doc Holiday went up against Ike and Billy Clanton, John Ringo, Frank and Tom McLowery, and Tombstone's crooked sheriff, John Behan.

The Earps were dressed as any professional law enforcer would have been - in single breasted black frock coats, flowing black ties, and slouch hats.  Short hair, clean shaven, except for their handlebar mustaches, they were the epitome of the good guys.

Next time...the outcome at the OK Corral

Wyatt's Rules of the Street

Front Street, Dodge City - Wyatt Earp's territory.  His rules: No firearms allowed with the city limits.  If you wanted to argue the point with Mr. Earp, he like nothing better than to lay his long barrel Buntline Special alongside your head and make an example of you.

On one such occasion, with the help of Bat Masterson, Earp called the bluff on one Clay Allison, a well-known psychopathic killer in Dodge City and ran him and his murderous mind clean out of Dodge City for good.  In fact, legend has it he was running as fast as a man can run without looking back.  Good idea!


Editor - Google Robert Clay Allison and read about his notorious life as one of the major gunfighters on the Old West.  He was quite an interesting character.

Next time  The Honorable Roy Bean

Belle Starr and Blue Duke

One can never say that Belle Starr was shy!  A Dodge City, Kansas resident during the height of the cattle drives Belle was an accomplished horsewoman with a colorful vocabulary and an even more colorful interest in other people's horses. Something Wyatt Earp as Marshall didn't care for too much..

Ms Starr was married to Blue Duck an Indian, but it was obvious that Belle wore the pants.  When Blue Duck lost $2000 gambling, Belle held up the gambling establishment with a pair of six-shooters and recovered not only the original $2000 lost, but interest to the tune of $5000 additional money as well. 

Belle lead a band of horse thieves in Oklahoma during a windstorm, as the story goes, and when her hat blew off, not a single man in the group stopped to pick it up for her.  Belle wasn't too pleased and pulled out her Colt pistol and screamed at Blue Duck  "Get down there and pick it up you ignorant bastard.  Haven't you got any manners when you're with a lady?"

Perhaps Blue Duck didn't recognize any ladies in attendance :)

Next - The Legend of Mattie Silks