Today in History—October 26: The Shoot-out at the O.K. Corral

On one side stood celebrated lawman Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil (the town marshal) and Morgan (a deputized policeman), and their pal John “Doc” Holliday. On the other was the outlaw gang known as the Cowboys, led by Ike and Billy Clanton.

Their confrontation on this day in 1881 became the most celebrated gunfight in American frontier history, even though it lasted less than a minute—and didn’t actually take place at the O.K. Corral. It happened in the vacant lot behind it (but “vacant lot behind the Old Kinderhook Corral” has a much less romantic ring, and I get why that didn’t catch on).

Tombstone was only a few years old when the gunfight cemented its place in history. Silver had been discovered in Arizona Territory, attracting fortune hunters. By 1881 the town boasted 7,000 residents, including the cast of today’s story.

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The Cowboys were cattle rustlers. The lawmen were, well, lawmen—but also bartenders, gamblers, and miners. Their job was largely to protect the interests of the town’s wealthy residents, and if they maintained law and order, it was a bonus.

The night before, Ike and Doc had a bit of a drunken brawl. The next day—still drunk and still armed—Ike rounded up his associates, including brothers Tom and Frank McLaury. The group boasted about killing the Earps.

They ran into the county sheriff, but they refused when he tried to disarm them.

The sheriff ran into the Earps next, but they refused when he tried to deter them.

The two groups met near the O.K. Corral at about 3 pm. No one knows who fired first. Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers were killed. (Ike and the other Cowboys fled.) Doc, Morgan, and Virgil were wounded. Wyatt was unharmed.

Ike alleged that the lawmen fired first, and Wyatt and Doc were arrested. The case was dismissed after it was established that at least two Cowboys had been armed.

That didn’t stop the violence. Within a year, Morgan was dead and Virgil was permanently disabled, both victims of later attacks believed to be in retaliation for the shoot-out.

And as for Wyatt? He spent much of the rest of his life running, either in pursuit of vengeance or justice, depending on who you ask.