Like the saloons and Wild West he built his reputation in, [casino.org] Wyatt Earp’s mythology and life are equally vibrant and multifaceted.
Even if it’s debatable how much of what we know about him is fictitious, it doesn’t lessen how inspiring his outlook on life was or how adored he is today.
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Prized for his exceptional abilities in high-stakes gunfights and his ability to seamlessly transition between his duties as a top card dealer, [casino.org] gambler, miner, buffalo hunter, deputy marshal, and more, it’s no surprise that his life has been portrayed on movie several times.
Leading performers Burt Lancaster, James Garner, Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, and Henry Fonda are just a few of the many who have stepped forward to take his place.
It seems that people are just drawn to this interesting individual inordinately. [casino.org] So what makes him so amazing?
Wyatt Earp: Who Was He?
Wyatt Berry Stap Earp was born in March 1848 and raised on a farm in Iowa with his siblings before moving to California in 1864. {www.casino.org/blog/the-top-10-casino-games-played-in-prison/}
He learned how to use his first gun during this move, and with consistent practice, [casino.org] he developed into the legendary marksman for which he is today known.
He experimented with stagecoach driving and buffalo hunting while in California, which led him all over the place. He wed Urilla Sutherland in 1870; sadly, she passed away from typhoid less than a year later.
He relocated to Oklahoma after her passing, and he finally rose to the position of deputy town marshal in Dodge City.
After a rough beginning and run-ins with the law, [casino.org] he proved to be a reliable guy by working as a card dealer at the Long Branch Saloon and assisting the police with a stealing case.
He met his close friends Doc Halliday and Bat Masterson during this period.
By the time 1879 arrived, he, his brothers, and their spouses had all traveled to Tombstone, [casino.org] Arizona, in anticipation of the silver boom, along with his sweetheart, Mattie Blaylock.
Earp started working as a gambler at the Oriental Saloon. {www.casino.org/blog/the-top-10-casino-games-played-in-prison/}
In March 1881, he and his brothers, who were all police officers, came to an arrangement with Ike Clanton, a local farmer and gang member. {www.casino.org/blog/the-top-10-casino-games-played-in-prison/}
But when Clanton did the dirty, things between them deteriorated.
Wyatt fell in love with traveling actress Josie Sarah Marcus before everything turned into the notorious O.K. Corral battle, and the two spent the rest of their lives together.
The pair left the scene of the largest firefight in the Wild West and spent the rest of their lives pursuing gold rushes, making their living via gambling, horse breeding, and running saloons.
The infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Tensions between the Wyatts and the Clanton-McLaury ranching families had been rising ever before the Wyatts arrived in Tombstone.
In March 1881, when Wyatt was assisting his brother Virgil, [casino.org] the town marshal, in pursuing several cowboys, they came to an arrangement.
Wyatt made an agreement with Ike Clanton, who had connections to the cowboys.
But by October of that year, Clanton’s threats had heightened tensions once again [casino.org] . On October 26, 1881, at the O.K. Corral, everything exploded.
Alright, Corralpicture from historythings.com
There was a fierce gunfight between the two parties. {www.casino.org/blog/the-top-10-casino-games-played-in-prison/}
Wyatt’s closest buddy, Doc Holliday, and his two brothers, Virgil and Morgan, were on his side [casino.org] . Along with the McLaury brothers, Tom and Frank, there was also Billy, Ike’s brother.
The previous day, Ike Clanton had been drinking all day and boasting to anybody who would listen that he was going to murder Holliday and the Earps. Holliday approached him after learning about this.
next their tense parting and preparation for the worst the next morning, the Earps threatened to arrest Clanton.
The next day, Ike was the only one who survived the conflict with Clanton’s side feeling most betrayed and determined to exact revenge.
Wyatt, on the Earp side, was unharmed, although his brothers and Holliday were slightly hurt.
In late November, a court acquitted them of the murder charge brought by Ike Clanton.
But it didn’t stop there. {www.casino.org/blog/the-top-10-casino-games-played-in-prison/}
There had been bloodshed, and retaliation was imminent. [casino.org]
A gang of unidentified individuals ambushed and murdered Virgil in December, and Wyatt and Morgan were ambushed again in March of the following year.
Wyatt took it upon himself to get revenge for his brothers’ untimely deaths, murdering other individuals before making his way out of town with Josie. Morgan passed himself instantly at a bar.
The Way That Wyatt Earp Died
After wandering around the West for another forty years, Earp attempted to write a narrative of his life, but it wasn’t well accepted at the time.
Owing to his vast background in Wild West exploration, he developed into a knowledgeable resource for Hollywood Westerns, enthusiastically narrating his experiences. [casino.org]
He was 80 years old when he passed away on January 13, 1929, from prostate cancer.
Earp was cremated, and his remains were interred south of San Francisco in the Josie’s family grave. She was buried there in 1944, the year of her death. There were no kids living with them.
The tomb of Wyatt and Josephine Earp. Image: Wikimedia Commons
A Legend in America
It seems sense that Wyatt Earp is still so beloved in the hearts of so many Americans today, given his colorful and spectacular life.
Although his memoir was not well received, Stuart N. Lake’s 1931 biography Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal went on to become a best-seller.
Despite the fact that a large portion of the biography is fictitious, Wyatt Earp’s reputation endures because he gave Americans so much inspiration and optimism throughout the Great Depression.
We will always have a particular place in our hearts for him since he was a hero who was passionately devoted and persistent in whatever he did.
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