26 Oct 1881: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

On this day in 1881, five lawmen and five outlaws had a gunfight in Tombstone, Arizona. After 30 seconds and about 30 shots, three outlaws lay dead. The event is known at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, even though the actual fight took place a few lots away.

O.K. Corral after an 1882 fire.

Among the lawmen were two of the most famous gunslingers of their day:

Wyatt Earp, the deputy sheriff of Tombstone at the time. He had moved from Dodge City, Kansas, where he was a U.S. Marshal. He had several brothers, including Virgil and Morgan; both fought alongside him at this gunfight and were murdered for revenge in the months following.

Morgan was done in by Frank Stilwell in May 1882; Wyatt got vengeance on Stilwell two days later in a train yard in Tucson, Arizona, and fled to Colorado to avoid prosecution.

John Henry “Doc” Holliday, an occasional dentist who had given up his Georgia medical practice after he contracted tuberculosis. His companion and later common-law wife went by the name Big Nose Kate. He died of TB in 1887.

On the other side were two pairs of brothers known for their feud with the Earps: Ike & Billy Clanton and Tom & Frank McLaury.