Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral Flashcards
Tombstone was a boom town in what state?
Arizona
What was the main source of Tombstone’s wealth?
Silver
What impact did the rise of businesses in Tombstone have on law and order?
Increased lawlessness connected to gambling, prostitution and alcohol
Who were the two factions in Tombstone, Arizona?
The rural cowboys (the Clantons and the McLaurys)
The business interests/mine owners (the Earps)
Who was appointed as Deputy US Marshal in Tombstone to try to establish law and order?
Virgil Earp
Who did Virgil Earp recruit to enforce the law in Tombstone?
His brothers Morgan and Wyatt, and Wyatt’s close friend Doc Holliday
What was Wyatt Earp’s background before arriving in Tombstone?
He was a buffalo hunter, miner and wagon driver, as well as a very good boxer and professional gambler who was arrested for horse theft
What law did the Earps bring in to Tombstone?
A ban on any man or woman from carrying weapons in the town
Who did Virgil Earp disarm on 26 October 1881?
Ike Clanton (from the Clanton cowboy family)
What did Ike Clanton do when he was released from court in the afternoon of 26 October 1881?
Joined his brother and some of the Clantons near the OK Corral, with weapons
What happened when the Earps and Doc Holliday told the Clantons to give up their weapons?
A gunfight broke out: Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton were killed
What did the Clantons and McLaurys claim about the deaths of Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton?
It wasn’t a gunfight - it was just murder
What happened in the revenge attacks carried out by the Clantons and McLaurys for the deaths of their brothers?
Virgil Earp was wounded and Morgan Earp was killed
Why was the power of the Clantons and McLaurys broken after the gunfight at the OK Corral?
The town council hired new lawmen and strictly enforced the laws against weapons, investing in law courts and a jail
What made it easier to share information between law officers after the gunfight at the OK Corral?
The telegraph
Why was it Wyatt Earp who achieved legendary status after the gunfight, not Virgil Earp?
A biography of Wyatt Earp was published in 1931 and a film of the gunfight in the 1950s was flattering to Wyatt
Why did public opinion turn against the Earps in the short term in Tombstone?
Their violent approach to law-keeping had only caused more conflict - Wyatt Earp had become a murderer with no regard for the law
What were the Earps forced to do as public opinion turned against them?
Flee Tombstone
