Behind the OK Corral: The Legend and the Legacy

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Truths in 19th Century Tombstone

In October of 1881, Tombstone, Arizona was a pressure-cooker ready to blow. Simmering within was a stew of wounded pride, jealousy, and anger. The fire was fueled by strong personalities, special interests, passion, and liquor. While the pinnacle event was the proverbial "Gunfight at the OK Corral", most pundits of the American west know that this was not the beginning of the story, nor was it the end of the conflict between the two principle factions. Much has been made in the way of movies and television about Wyatt Earp and the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, Ike Clanton and his clan, and the outlaw band known as "the Cow-Boys." The entertainment media tends to portray these events in a cut-and-dried, good guys vs. bad guys fashion. In reality, things weren't so black and white, and the controversies continue to this day.

Background
In 1877, silver was discovered in the San Pedro River Valley, which led to the establishment of the town of Tombstone. The silver industry spurred the growth of the town into the biggest metropolitan area between New Orleans and the San Francisco. Naturally, this produced a booming entertainment industry as well, with over 50 saloons in operation at the time, many of which housed gambling operations like faro and poker.

Cattle was another profitable trade at the time, and the Clanton family had the biggest operation. Unfortunately, some of the ranch workers were actively involved in a number of criminal activities such as cattle rustling and stage robbing. These outlaws were known as "the Cow-boy gang" or "the Clanton gang" (even though the patriarch of the Clanton family may have known nothing about the illegal activities of some family members and hired hands). This gang was a very loose-knit collective of individuals and smaller outlaw groups, and not the cohesive team of organized criminals they're sometimes portrayed to be.