After a long and distinguished career in police enforcement and the gaming industry, American legend Wyatt Earp passed away at the age of 80 on January 13th, 1929, from prostate cancer.
After another 40 years of exploring the west, Earp attempted to pen a biography about his life, which was met with critical acclaim. He became a go-to source for information for Hollywood Westerns thanks to his considerable experience in the Wild West, and he told his tales with energy and zest.
South of San Francisco, at the family plot of Josie’s mother, Earp was cremated and his remains interred. In 1944, she passed away, and her body was laid to rest in the same spot. They were unable to start a family.
Birth And Family
The town of Monmouth, Illinois, is where Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp entered the world. James, Virgil, and Martha preceded him as Nicholas and Virginia Ann Earp’s offspring. Wyatt has an elder half-brother named Newton from Nicholas’ first marriage.
The Midwest states of Illinois and Iowa served as Wyatt’s early home. Wyatt had younger siblings between the years 1851 and 1861: brothers Morgan and Warren, and sisters Virginia Ann and Adelia. Sadly, both Martha and Virginia Ann passed away as children.
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The Earp Brothers
Virgil, Morgan, Jim, and Doc Holliday were all major players in the violent early days of Tombstone, Arizona’s Cochise County. Morgan Earp was ambushed and slain, and two legendary gunmen were also killed during their struggle with the Clanton gang of cowboys. The Earps, commanded by Wyatt, a deputy United States marshal at the time, were cleared of any wrongdoing because of their official capacity.
Wyatt Earp rose to prominence after he was selected to serve as the referee for the fight that took place in San Francisco between Tom Sharkey and Bob Fitzsimmons. In the ring, Earp was armed with a six-shooter, and no one objected to his decision to rule in Sharkey’s favour once it was announced.
The O.K. Corral Gunfight
Tensions between the Wyatts and the Clanton and McLaury ranching families had been rising since the Wyatts’ arrival in Tombstone.In March of 1881, while Wyatt was assisting his brother Virgil, the town marshal, in the pursuit of three cowboys, they reached a deal. When Wyatt needed to make a deal with someone who had connections to the cowboys, he went to Ike Clanton.
However, by October of that year, tensions had once again begun to rise as Clanton made threats. The O.K. Corral was the site of the climactic showdown on October 26, 1881. Extremely heavy gunfire was exchanged between the two factions. Wyatt had Virgil and Morgan on his side, as well as his best buddy, Doc Holliday. Billy, Ike’s brother, and the McLaury brothers, Tom and Frank, were all on Ike’s side.
Ike Clanton spent all day yesterday drinking and ranting to anyone who would listen that he was going to kill Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers. Holliday, upon hearing this, went up to him. After the Earps threatened to arrest Clanton, the two men argued and agreed to disagree the following day.
The next day’s battle was devastating for Clanton’s team, with only Ike surviving to seek his revenge.Wyatt Earp was the only Earp brother to escape the battle unharmed, although both of his brothers and Holliday were hurt.
Ike Clanton had filed murder charges against them, but a judge dismissed those charges in late November. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the final chapter. There had been deaths, and vengeance was inevitable.
In December, a group of men in the shadows ambushed and killed Virgil; in March of the following year, the same men struck again, this time targeting Wyatt and Morgan.
After Morgan was killed instantly in a tavern, Wyatt vowed revenge for the loss of his brothers and killed several people before escaping with Josie.
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COL. Billy Breakenridge Remembers Wyatt Earp’s Bravery
“Good grief! Wyatt has unfortunately passed away. “Finally, the earplugs are finished!” Colonel William “Billy” Breakenridge, a former deputy U.S. marshal and two-gun man from Tombstone’s “Helldorado” era, was the prototypical “raconteur” of the early days of the mining camp.
It’s clear that the colonel thinks well of Wyatt because he remarked, “Many people agreed that he was a brave and effective leader.” “As long as he was in Tombstone, he was employed by the city or the United States Marshals Service.”
Colonel Breakenridge has written a new book, “Helldorado,” which he claims tells the “real narrative” of Tombstone. Critics have argued that the book is the most historically accurate account of the mining camp ever written. You can read the colonel’s thoughts on the Earp family and hear about Wyatt Earp’s time as a lawman in that book.
Before ending, the colonel declared that Wyatt Earp showed “extreme fidelity” to his friends and companions. “Because of his faithfulness, he ran into serious difficulties.”
Film Adaptations Of Wyatt Earp’s Life
Though they have become less common in the 21st century, movies and books on Wyatt Earp have helped spread his legacy. Movies like “My Darling Clementine” (1946), “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” (1957), “Tombstone” (1993), and “Wyatt Earp” (1999) are all worth mentioning from 1994.