Virgil Earp, the town marshal, calls on Wyatt and Morgan Earp, along with Doc Holliday, to join him. As they walk down Fremont Street toward the O.K. Corral, Virgil swaps his shotgun for Doc’s cane. Doc, dressed in a long overcoat, hides the shotgun beneath it to avoid alarming the townspeople. In the tense silence that follows, Morgan and Doc quietly cock their guns. Suddenly, Billy Claiborne, standing off to the side, flees the scene. Ike grabs Wyatt just as Wyatt is about to pistol-whip him. Then, the tension bursts—gunfire erupts and the fight begins.
Doc Holliday fires a close-range shot, hitting Frank McLaury in the abdomen from less than three feet away. Morgan fires and strikes Billy Clanton in the chest, knocking him backward against a nearby house. Billy, in the midst of drawing his gun, fires toward Virgil. Tom pulls hard on his horse’s reins, trying to position the animal between himself and his attackers. Virgil stands stunned, watching the chaos unfold. Realizing the Cowboys won’t surrender, Virgil drops Doc’s cane and draws his pistol. Meanwhile, Doc, now wary of his vulnerable position, holsters his pistol and pulls the shotgun from beneath his coat. Frank uses his horse as cover, circling the fight, waiting for a clear shot. His first bullet grazes Virgil’s calf, causing him to stumble and lean against Fly’s house for support. Doc blasts Tom with the shotgun at point-blank range as Tom’s horse bolts, sending him crashing down the street. Virgil fires back at Frank and misses, and Frank’s return shot, aimed beneath his horse’s neck, also misses.
Gravely wounded, Billy Clanton struggles to lift his gun and takes a desperate left-handed shot at Virgil, but misses. Wyatt fires a long-range shot at Tom, who is already sprawled down the street from Doc’s shotgun blast. Virgil turns his attention back to Billy, determined to end it. He fires twice—one bullet missing, the other finding its mark—while Billy’s return shots go wide. Wyatt, Doc, and the injured Morgan all zero in on Frank. As Frank raises his weapon one last time, he locks eyes with Doc and says, “I have you now.” Doc coolly replies, “You’re a good one if you have.”
Four guns go off simultaneously. Frank hits doc in the hip, and Morgan shoots Frank in the head, killing him instantly. Within an hour, both Tom and Billy die of their wounds. Virgil, Morgan, and Doc are wounded, but live to fight another day. Only Wyatt and Ike survived the fight unscathed.
In 1877, prospector Ed Schieffelin stood at Camp Huachuca, gazing toward the rugged mountains to the northeast. A soldier beside him warned of the Apaches who ruled that dangerous terrain, saying, “All you’ll find in those hills is your tombstone.” Undeterred, Schieffelin ventured out—and ended up discovering one of the richest silver strikes in the West. By the early 1880s, the boomtown of Tombstone was thriving, earning a reputation as one of the most lawless and violent places in the frontier. While it had its share of refinement and culture, Tombstone was also a town where men lived fast—and died even faster.
The 1881 gunfight near the O.K. Corral remains the most infamous showdown in Tombstone’s history. On one side stood Sheriff Johnny Behan and the Clanton clan, who operated the lawless “Moonshine Ranch,” profiting from cattle rustling and stagecoach robberies. Opposing them were the so-called men of the law—U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, and the notorious, hard-drinking gunslinger Doc Holliday.
On the afternoon of October 26th, the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday approached the corner of Fremont and 3rd Street, where five young members of the Clanton gang were gathered, ready for a confrontation. According to Ike Clanton’s later account, Wyatt Earp shoved a gun into his stomach and shouted, “You son of a bitch, you want a fight—you’ll get it.” Clanton fled as gunfire erupted. In less than 30 seconds, three of the Cowboys were dead, and Virgil and Morgan Earp were seriously wounded.
The Earp brothers and Doc Holliday were brought to court but ultimately acquitted of any wrongdoing. Two months later, around midnight, a masked gunman ambushed Virgil Earp, severely injuring his arm and leaving him permanently disabled. Three months after that, Morgan Earp was assassinated, shot in cold blood while playing billiards. In the wake of his brother’s murder, Wyatt Earp took justice into his own hands, tracking down and killing three men believed to be responsible. After his bloody vendetta, Wyatt left Cochise County for good.
Among others, the restored Crystal Palace Saloon from 1879 was the offices of city Marshall Virgil Earp and Sheriff Johnny Behan; and O.K. Corral, which became famous in one turbulent moment of shooting, are now open again.
Tombstone stands as a true American historical landmark and one of the best-preserved examples of 1880s Western heritage. Original buildings from the era still line the streets, and a wealth of artifacts can be found in the town’s many museums, offering a vivid window into the Old West.
The Bird Cage Theater was the most infamous honky-tonk in America from 1881 to 1889. Serving as a saloon, theater, gambling hall, and brothel, it was a hub of vice and revelry. Local legend says that no respectable woman would dare walk on the same side of the street. In 1882, The New York Times famously described it as “the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast.”
The photo above shows the legendary poker room, located on the lower level of the Bird Cage Theater. This is where the longest-running poker game in history took place—lasting an astonishing 8 years, 5 months, and 3 days without interruption. The original poker table still stands exactly as it was left, offering visitors the chance to imagine resting their elbows where the likes of the Earps, Doc Holliday, and the Clantons once sat, placing their bets in the smoky glow of the Old West.
Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, was once the Grand Hotel, the original building was built in 1881. Big Nose Kate is believed to have been the first prostitute in Tombstone, Arizona Territory.
Once hailed as one of the finest hotels in Arizona, this establishment was elegantly appointed with plush carpeting and walls decorated with expensive oil paintings. In its early years, it regularly hosted some of Tombstone’s most notable figures, including Wyatt and Virgil Earp, Doc Holliday, and members of the Clanton Gang. Notably, Ike Clanton and the McLaury brothers were registered guests here the night before the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Wander Woman 