Category: Historic Events

The Assassination Attempt of Virgil Earp

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Virgil Earp 1843 -1905
Virgil Earp 1843 -1905

The assassination attempt on Virgil Earp, a key figure in the law enforcement of the Old West, occurred on December 28, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. This event was part of the larger conflict known as the Earp-Cowboy feud, which culminated in the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Background

Virgil Earp, along with his brothers Wyatt and Morgan, was heavily involved in law enforcement in Tombstone. The town, at the time, was a hotbed of tension between the Earps and the Cowboys, a loosely organized group of outlaws and rustlers. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881, where Virgil played a leading role as Tombstone’s town marshal, escalated these tensions. In this shootout, three Cowboys—Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton—were killed, while Virgil and his brothers emerged relatively unscathed. This event intensified the animosity between the Earps and their enemies.

The Assassination Attempt

On the night of December 28, 1881, Virgil Earp was ambushed while walking down Allen Street in Tombstone. He was on his way from the Oriental Saloon to the Cosmopolitan Hotel, where he and his wife were staying. As Virgil passed by the intersection of Fifth and Allen streets, he was shot from behind with a shotgun. The blast struck his left arm and shoulder, shattering his humerus bone and causing severe injuries.

Despite the severity of his wounds, Virgil survived the attack, though he was permanently maimed. His left arm was nearly useless for the rest of his life. The attack on Virgil Earp was widely believed to be an act of revenge by the Cowboys for the events at the O.K. Corral. However, no one was ever officially charged with the crime. Ike Clanton and his associates, who had been involved in the earlier conflict with the Earps, were prime suspects, but insufficient evidence and the chaotic nature of Tombstone’s justice system at the time made it difficult to pursue any legal action.

Aftermath

The attack on Virgil Earp further inflamed the feud between the Earps and the Cowboys. Just a few months later, on March 18, 1882, Morgan Earp, another of Virgil’s brothers, was shot and killed in another ambush. This event prompted Wyatt Earp to lead a vendetta ride against the Cowboys, resulting in a series of violent encounters and killings.

Virgil Earp, despite his injury, continued to serve as a lawman. He left Tombstone in 1882 and eventually settled in California, where he served as a law enforcement officer in Colton and other areas. He lived until 1905, passing away at the age of 62.

The assassination attempt on Virgil Earp remains a significant event in the history of the American West, symbolizing the violent and often lawless nature of frontier life during that era.

The Gunfight at the O K Corral

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The Gunfight at the O K Corral, one of the most iconic events in American Old West history, occurred on October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. This brief but deadly confrontation, lasting approximately 30 seconds, pitted lawmen against a loosely organized group of outlaws known as the “Cowboys.” The shootout resulted in three deaths and several injuries, cementing its place in popular culture as a symbol of frontier justice and lawlessness. This report examines the background, events, aftermath, and historical significance of the gunfight, providing a detailed account as of March 12, 2025.

Historical Background

Wyatt Earp - 1869
Wyatt Earp – 1869

Tombstone, founded in 1877 after prospector Ed Schieffelin discovered silver in the Goose Flats area, rapidly grew into a bustling mining town. By 1881, it boasted a population of around 7,000–10,000, fueled by the riches of the Tough Nut Mine and others in the San Pedro Valley. The town’s prosperity attracted a mix of miners, merchants, and a rough element of cattle rustlers and outlaws, including the Cowboys—a gang of about 50–100 men involved in smuggling, rustling, and robbery across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Tensions in Tombstone were exacerbated by political and economic rivalries. The Earp brothers—Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan, and James—arrived in 1879–1880, seeking opportunities in the booming town. Virgil became Tombstone’s city marshal in June 1881, while Wyatt, a former lawman and gambler, served as a deputy sheriff for Pima County and later worked for Wells Fargo. They were aligned with Tombstone’s business elite and Republican interests, often clashing with the Cowboys, who were tied to rural ranchers and Democratic factions.

The Cowboys, including figures like Ike and Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, Billy Claiborne, and Johnny Ringo, were notorious for their lawless activities. By mid-1881, their confrontations with the Earps escalated. A key incident occurred on October 25, 1881, when Ike Clanton, drunk and armed despite a town ordinance banning firearms, threatened the Earps and their friend, John H. “Doc” Holliday, a dentist-turned-gambler with a volatile reputation. Virgil arrested Ike, pistol-whipping him, and fined him $27.50, further inflaming tensions.

The Gunfight

The Arizona Historical Newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph announces the gunfight at the O K Coral.
The Arizona Historical Newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph announces the gunfight at the O K Coral.

On the morning of October 26, 1881, the Cowboys gathered near the O.K. Corral, a livery and horse stable owned by John Montgomery, located on Fremont Street between Third and Fourth Streets. Reports indicated they were armed and possibly planning to leave town or confront the Earps. Virgil, as marshal, decided to disarm them to enforce the no-weapons ordinance, enlisting Wyatt, Morgan, and Doc Holliday (temporarily deputized) to assist.

Around 2:30 p.m., the four lawmen approached the Cowboys—Tom and Frank McLaury, Ike and Billy Clanton, and Billy Claiborne—in a narrow lot west of the O.K. Corral’s rear entrance, adjacent to Fly’s Photography Studio. The exact sequence of events remains disputed, with conflicting testimonies from survivors and witnesses. According to most accounts, Virgil demanded the Cowboys surrender their weapons, shouting, “Throw up your hands; I want your guns!” What followed was a chaotic exchange of gunfire.

Wyatt later claimed the Cowboys drew first, with Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton firing simultaneously. Virgil testified that he fired only after being shot at. Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne fled early in the fight, leaving the McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton to face the lawmen. The shootout involved an estimated 30 shots fired in 30 seconds. Tom McLaury was killed by a shotgun blast, likely from Holliday, who wielded a double-barreled coach gun. Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton, despite being wounded, exchanged fire with the Earps and Holliday before succumbing to their injuries.

The lawmen were not unscathed: Virgil took a bullet in the calf, Morgan was shot through the shoulder, and Holliday was grazed. Wyatt emerged unharmed. By 3:00 p.m., the shooting ceased, leaving three Cowboys dead and the lot strewn with blood and spent cartridges.

Aftermath

The bodies of Tom & Frank McLaury and Bill Clanton after the shoot-out in Tombstone
The bodies of Tom & Frank McLaury and Bill Clanton after the shoot-out in Tombstone

The gunfight sparked immediate controversy. The Cowboys’ allies, including Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan, a political rival of the Earps, accused the lawmen of murder, claiming the Cowboys were ambushed. Behan arrested Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan, and Holliday, but a preliminary hearing before Justice of the Peace Wells Spicer began on October 31, 1881. After weeks of testimony from over 30 witnesses, Spicer ruled on November 30 that the evidence was inconclusive and the lawmen acted within their authority to enforce the ordinance. No formal charges were filed.

Public opinion remained divided. The pro-Cowboy Tombstone Nugget decried the Earps as killers, while the Tombstone Epitaph, supportive of the lawmen, framed it as a necessary stand against lawlessness. The Cowboys sought revenge, ambushing Virgil on December 28, 1881, crippling his left arm, and assassinating Morgan on March 18, 1882, while he played pool. Wyatt, now a deputized U.S. Marshal, led a vendetta ride with Holliday and others, killing several Cowboys, including Frank Stilwell and Curly Bill Brocius, in the following months.

The Earps and Holliday eventually left Tombstone. Wyatt died in 1929 in Los Angeles, Holliday in 1887 in Colorado, and Virgil in 1905 in Nevada. The Cowboys’ power waned as federal authorities cracked down on border crime.

Historical Significance

Historical photo of Ike Clanton in 1881 by photographer Camillus S. Fly, Tombstone, Arizona Territory.
Historical photo of Ike Clanton in 1881 by photographer Camillus S. Fly, Tombstone, Arizona Territory.

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a minor skirmish in its immediate context—only three deaths in a town accustomed to violence—but its legacy looms large. It epitomized the clash between law and disorder in the frontier, reflecting broader tensions over control of resources and governance in the post-Civil War West. Tombstone’s silver boom faded by the late 1880s, but the gunfight endured as a cultural touchstone.

Hollywood amplified its fame, beginning with Stuart N. Lake’s 1931 biography Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal, which romanticized the Earps as heroic lawmen. Films like Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) and Tombstone (1993) further mythologized the event, often exaggerating its scale and simplifying its moral complexities. Historians, however, note its ambiguity: the Earps were not unblemished heroes, nor were the Cowboys mere villains; both sides operated in a gray area of frontier ethics.

Current Status

As of March 12, 2025, the O.K. Corral site in Tombstone is a preserved historic landmark, part of the Tombstone Historic District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961. The original corral burned in 1882, but the adjacent lot and Fly’s Studio remain, managed as a tourist attraction with daily reenactments. Artifacts like Doc Holliday’s shotgun and period photographs are displayed in local museums, such as the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park. Archaeological digs have uncovered bullets and casings, corroborating witness accounts of the fight’s location and intensity.

Conclusion

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a fleeting yet pivotal moment in Tombstone’s history, encapsulating the volatile spirit of the American West. Its blend of documented fact and embellished legend has ensured its place in the national imagination. Countless books and movies feature the story and the legend castes a long shadow across the history of Arizona. Beyond the gunfire, it reveals the fragility of order in a lawless land and the enduring human drive to impose it—or resist it. As a historical event, it remains a lens through which to view the complexities of justice, power, and survival on the frontier.