Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (19 March 1848 – 13 January 1929) was an American lawman and gambler of the Wild West. He was most famous for his feud with the Cochise County Cowboys in Tombstone, Arizona, for his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881, and his "Vendetta Ride" against Curly Bill Brocius and Johnny Ringo.
Biography[]
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was born in Monmouth, Illinois on 19 March 1848, the fourth child of Nicholas Porter Earp and the brother of Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp. He, Morgan, and their brother Warren took care of the family farm in Pella, Iowa while their brothers Newton, James, and Virgil served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and, from 12 May to 17 December, Nicholas and the sons who had stayed at the farm migrated to San Bernardino, California on a wagon train. They were later joined by their other brothers, and the Earps moved again to Lamar, Missouri in the spring of 1868. In 1869, Wyatt succeeded his father as town constable, but he fell into legal troubles after the death of his first wife from tuberculosis. Earp went on to become a professional gambler, teamster, and buffalo hunter, and he also came to own several saloons and a brothel, mined for silver and gold, and refereed boxing matches. He was arrested thrice in Peoria, Illinois, and he became known as an "old offender". In 1874, he travelled to the Kansas boomtown of Wichita, and he was appointed to the local police force on 21 April 1875. He developed a reputation as a lawman, but he was fired after getting into a fight with a political opponent of his boss. He followed his brother James to Dodge City, where he became an assistant city marshal. In 1878, he was sent to Texas to track down Dave Rudabaugh, and he befriended Doc Holliday after Holliday saved his life.
Move to Tombstone[]
Whatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp with their wives in Tombstone, Arizona, 1879
In 1879, Wyatt and his brothers Virgil and Morgan migrated to the silver mining town of Tombstone, Arizona, where Wyatt planned to retire from the law and become a businessman. However, they clashed with the local Cochise County Cowboys, and Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt's old friend Doc Holliday were deputized and became rivals with Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, Ike Clanton, and Billy Clanton. On 26 October 1881, the Earps set out to disarm the McLauries and Clantons as per a town ordinance, but a scuffle resulted in the 30-second Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, where the Earps and Holliday killed three Cowboys. The Cowboys retaliated by crippling Virgil later that year and killing Morgan in 1882, and Wyatt and Holliday went on to embark on a "Vendetta Ride", with Wyatt killing the Cowboys' leader Curly Bill Brocius and Holliday killing his successor Johnny Ringo.
Later years[]
Earp in 1886
Earp went on to leave for San Francisco with his former lover Josephine Marcus, and they became mine and saloon owners in Eagle City, Idaho. They later raised horses and opened a saloon in San Diego, California, but he was embroiled in controversy after allegedly fixing a boxing fight in Colorado. They moved to Yuma, Arizona before joining the Nome Gold Rush in Alaska in 1899, opening another saloon in Tonopah, Nevada, working several mining claims in Vidal, California, and befriending several Western actors and filmmakers in Hollywood. Earp even befriended a young Indiana Jones in 1921 while Jones was helping director John Ford film a western movie. He died in 1929 at the age of 80, and his bestselling biography was released in 1931.
Gallery[]
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