Tombstone didn’t become what it did in a day, but history shows that following one particular day, the way the town was operated—and by whom—was made very clear. That day was October 26th, 1881, made famous for the gun fight between The Cowboys and local lawmen that took place near O.K. Corral.
Let’s backtrack for context.
There was a huge uptick in miners settling in the area thanks to the spoils of get-rich-quick opportunities in the nearby silver mines. This brought a rise of gambling to the community and outlaw behavior ran wild.
There were two strong factions vying for control: the local lawmen and a group of cattle ranchers and rumored thieves, called the Cowboys. These tensions between the two sides trickled to the town: half of them sided with the law, half with the Cowboys.
In 1881, it all came to a head when the local marshal proclaimed that carrying guns in town was prohibited. Five of the Cowboys were confronted near the O.K. Corral by the Earp brothers (who were enforcing the new rule). Brothers Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt were joined by their friend Doc Holliday. Two of the Cowboys fled before shots were fired.
Thirty bullets were expelled in thirty seconds, leaving three of the Cowboys dead and three lawmen wounded. The shootout lasted less than a minute and no one knows who fired the first shot.
There are differing versions of the story. Some argue that the Cowboys were surrendering—a couple of them even unarmed—at the time of the shootout, while others feel that the Earps and Holliday were in the right: protecting the law and themselves.
If you’d like to watch a reenactment of the gun fight, visit O.K. Corral in town today!
You can read the original newspaper article of the shoot-out at The Tombstone Epitaph Museum.
