Arizona Town Deepened In Mythology Of Justice & Old West Lore Balances A New American Personification
There are two phenomenon that are virtually synonymous with the town of Tombstone, Arizona, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say there are two phenomenon that have defined the town of Tombstone: the most famous gunfight in history and the most famous lawman in the Old West.
The Gunfight at the OK Corral is by far and away the best known, most written about, and most often depicted shoot-out that Western culture has produced. Lasting less than 30 seconds this battle between lawmen and an outlaw gang, known as the Cowboys, has captured the imagination of generations and shows no signs of stopping.
The other defining feature of Tombstone is Wyatt Earp, the icon of Western lawmen who is a genre unto himself in the annals of history. His reputation as a fearsome defender of justice stands almost as tall as his imposing frame, being well over 6’ in an era where the average height was 5’6”. His large mustache and piercing blue eyes made him the “figure to catch a lady’s eye” as was reported in a Denver newspaper but it was his trigger finger that garnered Wyatt the most attention as it had considerable to do with composing history in the West. Wyatt Earp was the consummate lawman, a defender of the people with a clear idea of right and wrong.
But these two popular icons garner so much attention that many people miss out on what might be the real story behind Tombstone, a town that became a smaller version of San Francisco out in the middle of unexplored territory. According to Tombstone City Historian, Don Taylor, “The spotlight on Wyatt Earp is so bright that you can’t see anything else around him and that’s a shame because Tombstone is so much more than one man or one gunfight.”
In 1879 a town was established in the western part of Cochise County, Arizona by prospector Ed Schieffelin who came to the area in search of gold and silver. A friend reportedly warned Schieffelin that, “the only rock you’ll find out there will be your own tombstone.” When silver was discovered and the town established, Schieffelin chose Tombstone as its moniker.
The town’s first heyday occurred from about 1877 to 1890 when the population exploded from just a handful of prospectors living in tents to 14,000 people with over a hundred saloons, three newspapers, and a bowling alley. “There was so much money floating around town they didn’t know what to do with it. Heck, Tombstone was getting fresh seafood delivered daily in the 1880s. The first concrete swimming pool west of the Mississippi was right in town and we still use it today,” says Taylor. By his calculations the mines produced over $37 million dollars in 1880 money, which Taylor figures is worth about $8 billion dollars today. “The entire town burned down and was completely rebuilt in 90 days,” he goes on. “That’s how much money there was.”
To this day though, it is still the reluctant lawman that comes to mind when people think of Tombstone, Arizona and Taylor has an easy explanation for why that is the case. “In 1881 John Clum founded the Epitaph newspaper because, as he said, ‘every tombstone needs an epitaph’. Clum was a member of the Associated Press, which meant that the stories he was writing were being printed in cities all over the country. At the time, the notorious Cowboys were basically a form of organized crime and their schemes had gotten so bad that the Mexican government was beginning to complain. Then along comes Wyatt and his brothers to finally stand up to these outlaws and that was big news. People around the nation were following the Earp’s activities all the way through and like any good newspaperman, Crum made his stories sensational.”
The stories of unrest in Cochise County took a distinct turn after the gunfight at the OK Corral. “After that gunfight it essentially became the Cowboys verses the Earps and Doc Holiday,” says Taylor. A national hero was born as Wyatt began to capture or kill all the major leaders of the Cowboys, including the infamous Johnny Ringo, though Ringo’s death was officially listed as a suicide. After his brother Virgil was ambushed and his brother Morgan assassinated, Wyatt set out on his legendary “vendetta ride” which broke the back of the Cowboys’ criminal organization.
Stardom as a lawman quickly wore on Wyatt and it wasn’t long before he left Tombstone. According to Taylor, “Wyatt didn’t want to be a rock star anymore. It was too painful.” Wyatt spent some time as a Faro dealer in Colorado before heading further West moving through many towns and many business ventures before settling in Los Angeles until his death in 1929.
Today Tombstone stands as an icon of the Old West and operates as a sort of living museum that transports visitors back to the dusty and dangerous days of the turn of the century. With over 450,000 visitors a year, Tombstone has completely redefined itself from a booming silver town to a hopping tourist destination complete with live gunfights and plenty of period townsfolk who are happy to spin you a yarn.
Known for overcoming such adversity and surviving, Tombstone’s motto is aptly, “The Town Too Tough To Die,” but it might also be true that the legend of Wyatt Earp will never die as well.
Michael Quinn
A graduate of St. Louis University in Communications with a focus in Advertising & Promotions, Michael has worked for Blue Man Group, Oito Zero Oito and Counts Media among others. His interests include DJing and Lawn Mower Disrepair.
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