135 years ago today - Gunfight at the OK Corral

[knapplc]

Widely regarded as the most famous gunfight of the Old West, the fight took place at about 3pm on October 26th, 1881. On one side were the Cowboys, an outlaw gang involved in several crimes in the area of Tombstone, AZ.

 

On the other were some of the best-known lawmen in American history, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, and Wyatt's brothers Virgil and Morgan Earp.

 

This is the best-known historical footage of the incident.

 

[Mavric]

I forget now - is the Tombstone depiction fairly close to historical reality?

 

The movie is awesome and I'm sure there is some licence taken with the story but I'm not sure how much.

[knapplc]

Turns out the Tombstone depiction of the shootout isn't too far off what local legends say about it.

 

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-earps-shoot-it-out-at-the-ok-corral-in-tombstone-arizona

[NUance]

I'd be willing to bet that the issue of who were the good guys and who were the the bad guys wasn't nearly as clear cut as it was depicted in the movies. The Earp brothers and Doc Holiday won the shootout. Wyatt Earp lived to the ripe old age of 81 in California. (He lived to 1929.) Their side got to tell the tale which eventually became history. Just sayin..

 

 

btw, Tombstone, the movie. One of the greatest westerns evar.

[JJ Husker]

Little known fact; Talk of smoke-wagon control began in the late 1880's.

[NUance]

Little known fact; Talk of smoke-wagon control began in the late 1880's.

 

Ha ha! One of the best scenes in the movie!

 

[teachercd]

Lots of historians has the gun fight as much less bloody. Johnny Ringo, I thought I read, went to U of Mizzo? Maybe for a short time?