The Last Gunfight

Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, the Clantons and the famous shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona territory lives on in legend and myth and has defined our perceptions of the American West. The legend makes a great story and wonderful movies, but most of what we think we know about the famous shootout, the Earps, the Clantons, and Tombstone itself isn’t true. The shootout didn’t even occur at the OK Corral, incidentally.

In his very readable, interesting book, The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the OK Corral and How it Changed the American West, by Jeff Guinn, explodes a lot of the myth surrounding the legendary fight. Rather, Guinn tells the real story about the life and times of the people involved and the events that led to the confrontation between eight men, one of whom was so drunk he could hardly stand up straight.

We discover good guys don’t wear white hats, bad guys don’t wear black hats, as TV would have us believe. In fact, at times a person might have a bit of difficulty distinguishing between the good guys and the bad guys involved in this confrontation. None of the men involved, including Wyatt Earp, had a corner on integrity and honesty; rancher Ike Clanton was a loudmouth drunk, Doc Holliday had a mean temper and a difficult personality, and Wyatt Earp sought to achieve fame and fortune.

I found this book very fascinating. Guinn gives us the background and sets the scene, giving us the actions and events that lead to the shootout that left three men dead. He opens our eyes to a few truths along the way. For instance, Tombstone was not a lawless town, full of armed desperados. Gunfights were not a common occurrence; in fact most towns prohibited guns in city limits, and a man wearing a holster caused comment. Even the sheriff of Tombstone, Wyatt’s brother Virgil Earp, only took a gun with him when he expected trouble. Most people stuck their guns in their pockets or waist bands and only used holsters on the trail. During the famous shootout, Wyatt Earp himself had his gun in the pocket of an overcoat, not strapped on his hip.

In fact, what started the troubles between the Clantons and the Earps was the same problem that has wracked our country in spades in the past decade: politics. Then as now, Democrats and Republican fought tooth and nail; double dealing and broken promises abounded, and this fueled anger and distrust. Add in pride, ego, and ambition, and a deadly brew simmered and worsened. Toss in alcohol and a 24-hour drinking spree, and the situation blew up and became part of the history of the American west.

Guinn tells the story of the shootout in extremely readable fashion. This book for the most part reads like a novel, not a history book, and Guinn also tells us about the hearing after the shootout, the crippling of Virgil Earp and the assassination of Morgan Earp, which lead to Wyatt Earp’s revenge ride. This book provides a good read about a very famous incident that occurred on Oct. 26, 1881 in a vacant lot beside a boardinghouse in Tombstone.

I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of the American west or with an interest in the famous gun battle between the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday and the Clantons.