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 Wyatt
Berry Stapp Earp was an American frontiersman and law enforcement officer.
He was born in Monmouth, Illinois on March 19, 1849 to Nicholas and
Virginia Earp. As a young man, Wyatt Earp worked as a stagecoach driver,
railroad construction worker, surveyor, buffalo hunter, and policeman.
Wyatt was taught to shoot by Wild Bill Hickok the summer that he spent in
Kansas City.
In 1873, Wyatt Earp found himself in Ellsworth, Kansas. After witnessing
the murder of the local sheriff, Wyatt was given the job by the mayor.
However, he turned in his badge after the first day when the judge
released his prisoner.
In 1874, Wyatt was named deputy marshal of Wichita, Kansas. After
arresting a rich Texan named Abel "Shanghai" Pierce, as well as
several of Pierce's men, Wyatt made many enemies. Forty Texan cowboys
approached the town, and Wyatt met them on the bridge. He stood up to a
known killer named Mannen Clements, and the cowboys left. It was the last
time Wichita experienced such violence.
In 1876, he became chief deputy marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. Within a
year, having brought relative peace to Dodge City, he moved on to the city
of Deadwood in the Dakota Territory. He later returned to Dodge City in
1878.
In 1879, Wyatt settled in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. There he furthered
his reputation as a gunfighter, first as the deputy sheriff of Pima County
and later as deputy U.S. Marshal for the entire Arizona Territory. He was
assisted by Bat Masterson from 1880-1881 in his campaign to bring order to
the Arizona Territory. While in Tombstone Wyatt also invested in the
Oriental Saloon. He later owned a couple of saloons in Idaho, including
the Coeur d'Alene.
On October 26, 1881, Wyatt joined his brothers Virgil and Morgan, along
with Doc Holliday (who had developed a great friendship with Wyatt Earp
since they first met in Fort Griffin, Texas), in the famous shootout at
the O.K. Corral against members of the Clanton gang of suspected cattle
rustlers. The shootout at the O.K. Corral lasted about 30 seconds wounding
two and killing three.
After the shootout the Earps and Doc Holliday were arrested for murder by
Sheriff John Behan. After a month-long trial, it was determined they acted
within the law. In March 1881, Ike Clanton attempted to kill Wyatt and
Morgan Earp while they were playing pool. Morgan was killed, and Wyatt
vowed revenge. He quickly found and killed Frank Stilwell, and then headed
out to find the remaining killers. However, Wyatt was being tracked by
Sheriff John Behan, who wanted to arrest him. Wyatt left Tombstone,
Arizona in 1882 because of murder charges and he headed to Colorado with
Doc Holliday. Wyatt started a new life in Colorado, making money playing
cards.
On May 31, 1883, Wyatt returned to Dodge City to assist longtime friend
Luke Short. Earp, along with Bat Masterson, and other friends of Short
formed the "Dodge City Peace Commission" to protect Short from
the lawmen of Dodge City. Wyatt later traveled to San Diego, California
where he bought and sold real estate. From San Diego, Wyatt moved to San
Jose and started a race horse farm.
Wyatt later married his third wife, Josephine Sarah Marcus. His first wife
was Urilla Sutherland. His second wife was Celia Ann "Mattie"
Blaylock.
In 1897, Wyatt and Josephine headed to the Yukon (now Alaska) during the
Klondike Gold Rush. Wyatt did not strike gold, but he was active in the
saloon business in Nome, Alaska as part owner of the Dexter Saloon. Wyatt
was successful in finding gold in the Colorado River Valley. He spent the
rest of his life managing his mines in Colorado and his oil wells in
California. Wyatt Earp died on January 13, 1929, in Los Angeles,
California. Wyatt has become a legendary figure, the hero of many Western
novels, television shows, and hollywood movies.
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