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Tombstone in Cochise County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

City Marshall Virgil Earp

 
 
City Marshall Virgil Earp Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 9, 1996
1. City Marshall Virgil Earp Marker
Inscription. Virgil Earp was ambushed here and crippled for life as an aftermath of the OK battle-Dec 28, 1881
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.
 
Location. 31° 42.732′ N, 110° 3.96′ W. Marker is in Tombstone, Arizona, in Cochise County. Marker is on Allen Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tombstone AZ 85638, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Owl Cafe and Tourist Hotel (here, next to this marker); The Oriental Saloon (a few steps from this marker); M. Calisher General Store (within shouting distance of this marker); The Grand Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); Campbell & Hatch Saloon and Billiard Parlor (within shouting distance of this marker); Curly Bill Brocius Killed Marshal Fred White Here (within shouting distance of this marker); Bird Cage Theatre (within shouting distance of this marker); Million Dollar Stope (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tombstone.
 
Regarding City Marshall Virgil Earp. October 26,1881: Shootout at the OK Corral

On this day in 1881, the Earp brothers face off against the Clanton-McLaury gang in a legendary shootout
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at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.
After silver was discovered nearby in 1877, Tombstone quickly grew into one of the richest mining towns in the Southwest. Wyatt Earp, a former Kansas police officer working as a bank security guard, and his brothers, Morgan and Virgil, the town marshal, represented "law and order" in Tombstone, though they also had reputations as being power-hungry and ruthless. The Clantons and McLaurys were cowboys who lived on a ranch outside of town and sidelined as cattle rustlers, thieves and murderers. In October 1881, the struggle between these two groups for control of Tombstone and Cochise County ended in a blaze of gunfire at the OK Corral.
On the morning of October 25, Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury came into Tombstone for supplies. Over the next 24 hours, the two men had several violent run-ins with the Earps and their friend Doc Holliday. Around 1:30 p.m. on October 26, Ike's brother Billy rode into town to join them, along with Frank McLaury and Billy Claiborne. The first person they met in the local saloon was Holliday, who was delighted to inform them that their brothers had both been pistol-whipped by the Earps. Frank and Billy immediately left the saloon, vowing revenge.
Around 3 p.m., the Earps and Holliday spotted the five members of the Clanton-McLaury gang in a vacant lot behind the OK Corral, at the end of Fremont Street.
Entrance to the OK Corral image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 9, 1996
2. Entrance to the OK Corral
The famous gunfight that ensued lasted all of 30 seconds, and around 30 shots were fired. Though it's still debated who fired the first shot, most reports say that the shootout began when Virgil Earp pulled out his revolver and shot Billy Clanton point-blank in the chest, while Doc Holliday fired a shotgun blast at Tom McLaury's chest. Though Wyatt Earp wounded Frank McLaury with a shot in the stomach, Frank managed to get off a few shots before collapsing, as did Billy Clanton. When the dust cleared, Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers were dead, and Virgil and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday were wounded. Ike Clanton and Claiborne had run for the hills.
Sheriff John Behan of Cochise County, who witnessed the shootout, charged the Earps and Holliday with murder. A month later, however, a Tombstone judge found the men not guilty, ruling that they were "fully justified in committing these homicides." The famous shootout has been immortalized in many movies, including Frontier Marshal (1939), Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957), Tombstone (1993) and Wyatt Earp (1994).
 
Inside the OK Corral-Earp team image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 9, 1996
3. Inside the OK Corral-Earp team
Inside the OK Corral- The Clanton team image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 9, 1996
4. Inside the OK Corral- The Clanton team
City Marshall Virgil Earp Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joe Gallagher, circa 2014
5. City Marshall Virgil Earp Marker
Marker is just to the right of the hitching post
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 4, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 15, 2012, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,052 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on December 15, 2012, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland.   2, 3, 4. submitted on December 3, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland.   5. submitted on August 30, 2015, by Joe Gallagher of Ontario, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024