The location where the gunfight occurred is now a historic landmark where the gunfight is re-enacted.
The Gunfight.
The famous gunfight occurred on October 26, 1881, in Tombstone in the Arizona Territory. It began in an 18-foot-wide lot behind the O.K. Corral next to C.S. Fly's Boarding House and Photo Studio. This is the display of where the actual gunfight. Check out how close they were to each other when the shooting began!
The showdown was a result of several months of threats, romantic rivalries, robberies, pistol whippings and arrests between the "cowboys" and the "law" in Tombstone. The Police Chief was Virgil Earp. He deputized his brothers Wyatt and Morgan Earp as well as Wyatt's good friend, Doc Holliday, to help him deal with the cowboys who were waiting to confront Doc Holiday.
Ike Clanton, an unarmed cowboy, ran into Fly's Boarding House and kept on running. Within 30 seconds 30 shots were fired and the three remaining cowboys, Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and 19-year-old Billy Clanton, were killed.
Virgil and Morgan Earp were badly wounded. Doc Holliday suffered a minor hip wound. Wyatt Earp was unscathed.
The Re-Enactment. Doc Holliday and the three Earp brothers.
The set for the gunfight. We sat in bleachers facing this area.
Conflict leading up to the famous gunfight.
The famous shootout the next day.
Photos with the "good guys" are welcomed after the show.
O.K. Corral Museums
Today, the gunfight is re-enacted three times a day (noon, 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm) and you can see it all for a fee. But included in admission to the re-enactment, are several exhibits and five museums that are very interesting to those of us that enjoy learning about this time in our nation's history.
Period saddles and Phaeton buggy.
Caretaker's Bunkhouse. The caretaker tended stock and dealt with night orders for the undertaker.
Prostitute's Crib. These small, sparsely furnished buildings were rented to "working women" for about $20/week. On pay day, they usually worked from dusk to dawn with a line of men outside their door charging $.25 to $1/per man. As you can imagine, this lifestyle often led to alcohol or drug addition and ended in violence or suicide.
Fly's Boarding House. This is where Doc Holliday rented a room and was next to the alley where the shoot out occurred. Big Nose Kate stayed here with him and witnessed the gunfight from the window.
Also on display in the Boarding House Museum are photos taken by C.S. Fly. He was famous for the Native American photos he took and particularly those of Geronimo.
T.S. Fly's Photo Studio is located next to the Boarding House.
Stables - buggy display.
Admission price for the gunfight re-enactment and access to all of the small museums and exhibits on site is $10/adults. Our Tucson Attractions Passbook Savings had a buy-one-get-one free coupon. We thoroughly enjoyed this and is a must see if you visit Tombstone (and like the old West!)
Website: www.okcorral.com
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