Unfortunately, Mr. Robert Love, owner of the O.K. Corral would not allow permission for any of the pictures to be used. Therefore, in order to respect his wishes, we will merely give the story of our time visiting the O.K. Corral, the history of the shootout and the paranormal experience that occurred in the street in front of the building at night.
The historic gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Who hasn't heard of it? You learned about it in school. Many movies have been made of it including the most recent "Tombstone" starring those handsome stars, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer and Bill Paxton. It's not until you are actually standing in the actual spots of these historic happenings that you really get the gist of what must have taken place. You can actually visualize in your mind what was going through these men's minds when the shootout occurred. Add to that the real-life recreation by the actors and you really get a sense of what life in Tombstone in the late 1880's must have been like. These people bring the city and the gunfight in the O.K. Corral to life. It is NOT cheesy like some stunts, these people actually help it make sense. One must experience the guns blaring and the men falling to the ground to understand the impact it has on you as you watch it unfold before your eyes. It must be experienced for you to understand.
Interpretive boards help visitors learn the history of the gunfight as well as using mannequins to situate the gunfighters in the positions where they may have stood.
The interpretive board explains about the bricks that still lay in the dirt as the location of the original sidewall of the Harwood House. They have attempted to recreate for you visually exactly where and how the gunfight took place.
Most people learn that the gunfight took place but again, the interpretive boards help you to understand exactly where everyone was before, during and after the gunfight took place.
The stars recreating the gunfight are: "Pepper" as Wyatt Earp, "Jasper" as Virgil Earp, "Phil" as Morgan Earp and "Jim" as Doc Holiday.
The stars recreating the gunfight are: "Buck" as Frank McLaury, "Big Red", "Wrong Way Jay" as Tom McLaury.
Although I did not capture them in one picture, the two remaining gunfighters are: "Loco Louie" as Ike Clanton (in foreground with bandage on the head) and "The Buffalo Soldier" as Billy Clanton (just past Loco Louie).
Nothing beats a trip to Tombstone than actual relics from the movie of the same name. There is the actual saddle that Kurt Russell rode on in the movie that is displayed at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Of course, it would be great to actually have HIM displayed there for awhile. I would certainly go to see that attraction!!! Obviously I am a Kurt Russell fan!!
Here is the story of the events leading up to the shootout at the O.K. Corral:
When Wyatt Earp came to Tombstone in 1879 with his common-law wife, Mattie Blaylock, and his two brothers, Virgil and Morgan, Arizona was a U.S. Territory. Tombstone was a fast-growing, silver-mining town (population 900) where men (like John Heath) were sometimes lynched before they could be legally hanged.
Not long after he arrived, Tombstone's population doubled and Wyatt was appointed Deputy Sheriff. The job was short-lived. Wyatt wanted a different, more prestigious job. He wanted to fill the new position of Cochise County Sheriff, but the job went to a newcomer, Johnny Behan, with whom Wyatt was soon at odds.
How did Behan and Wyatt Earp get off to a bad start? Both wanted to be the law of Tombstone. Both fell in love with the same woman - Josie Marcus, a beautiful showgirl. Even worse, Behan reneged on a deal he had made with Wyatt and was a friend of "The Cowboys," a group of mostly honest ranchers with cattle rustlers in their midst.
It wasn't just that folks believed some of the Cowboys (like Tom and Frank McLaury, Ike and Billy Clanton) were rustlers. There was bad blood between the Earps, the Clantons and the McLaurys. Both sides had verbally threatened each other while Virgil Earp, a Deputy U.S. Marshall, got physical with the McLaurys and Ike Clanton.
And then there was "Doc Holliday," who made matters worse. Doc, a dentist back east, but a professional gambler out west, became close to the Earps. Doc was known for his bad health (tuberculosis) and his quick draw. At the time, and later, folks in Tombstone said Doc was the real source of trouble between the Earps and the Cowboys, despite his "gentlemanly ways."
Too much liquor makes a man do stupid things. On the night of October 25, 1881, Ike Clanton had too much liquor.
Drinking in the Alhambra Saloon, Ike started making more threats against the Earps and Doc Holliday. Hearing the threats, Doc entered the saloon and tried to provoke Ike to draw his gun. Ike wasn't armed. Tombstone had a law against being armed in town.
Not letting things get in his way - even the law - Holliday tried to convince one of the saloon patrons to get Ike a gun. Doc's apparent plan was to shoot Ike. Folks still remember Doc's famous retort when Ike threatened to shoot him:
Morgan Earp, recently deputized by his brother Virgil - the city Marshall - broke up the fight, but it continued in the street. When Ike saw Wyatt Earp, he told him he'd have him "man for man" the next day.
After he made the threats, Ike gambled most of the night. His partners for at least some of the all-night card game were Sheriff Behan and Virgil Earp!
Because he played cards all night, Ike never had a chance to "sleep it off." By the next morning, the 26th of October, Ike's mouth was still working hard. Running through town with a rifle he had managed to get, Ike threatened to shoot the first Earp he saw.
Virgil, acting in his official capacity, hauled Ike Clanton to court to prosecute him for violating the town ordinance. Before they arrived at court, Virgil knocked Ike down with his pistol. In court, Clanton was fined $25 and had to give up his rifle. He was left unarmed.
Upset, Ike threatened to get even with the Earps. Wyatt gave Ike his now-famous response:
On his way out of court, Wyatt Earp met Tom McLaury. Still upset from his confrontation with Clanton, Wyatt had words with the Cowboy. Saying he was unarmed, Tom did not draw a gun. Responding with force, Wyatt pistol-whipped Tom and left him bleeding in the street.
That was just the beginning.
During the afternoon of October 26th, the Clantons and McLaurys were at the O.K. Corral. Although their plan was to get their horses and go home, they were still making threats about the Earps. Word got back to Virgil, who decided to deputize Doc Holliday. With that move, every man in the Earp party was "a lawman."
As the Earps and Doc started their famous walk through town, they could not have known they were about to create one of the greatest legends of the American West. Their plan was simply to disarm the Cowboys at the Corral.
As the four men walked through Tombstone, they met Johnny Behan. Sheriff Behan told them not to seek out the Cowboys and that he would disarm the Cowboys at the Corral. Unfortunately, the Sheriff wasn't successful in his mission. He couldn't convince the Earps to turn around; he couldn't convince the Cowboys to give up their guns, even though he told Wyatt:
Despite the legend, no shooting actually took place at the O.K. Corral. As the Earps and Doc made their way through town, they passed the O.K. Corral, but the Cowboys weren't there. They were in the alley by Fly's Photo Shop.
When Virgil Earp saw the Cowboys, he told them:
Witnesses later testified that Billy Clanton said:
Tom McLaury opened his coat to show he was unarmed while Ike (also still unarmed) ran up to Wyatt. To this day, no one can say for sure who fired first.
Frank McLaury, the best shot of the Cowboys, was hit first. He was mortally wounded. So were his unarmed brother, Tom, and Billy Clanton. Wyatt later drew a picture describing everyone's positions after the shooting and told what happened in the first seconds:
A witness to the shoot-out, R.J. Coleman, later testified:
Johnny Behan, the Sheriff, saw the shoot-out. He recalled:
Virgil and Morgan Earp were both shot by Billy Clanton. R.J. Coleman saw it happen:
Billy died soon after. So did Tom and Frank McLaury.
Doc Holliday was also shot by Frank McLaury. The only armed person who remained unscathed was Wyatt Earp.When the smoke cleared, Sheriff Behan was on the scene to arrest Wyatt Earp for murder. Witnesses heard Earp tell Behan:
-Story taken from www.lawbuzz.com. You can read the complete story here.
One of the Movie Mix crew experienced paranormal phenomena when we were taking exterior shots around midnight one of the days we were in town. We were on the block where the O.K. Corral is located. At one end of the block is a park surrounded by a small fence. Past that park is the O.K. Corral area and then shops on down to the other end of the block. Another camera man was with me at the opposite end of the block. The first camera man was taking a shot of the O.K. Corral sign. He had focused his digital camera and was ready to take a picture when he noticed a tall, dark figure stand up off the bench that was on the sidewalk by the park. He walked into the street and was walking in the street toward that camera man. He looked through the viewfinder and saw the figure. He tried and tried to take a picture but the camera wouldn't work. He realized it was slowly approaching him and he became nervous, called out to me and the other camera man and when we didn't move (we didn't hear him), he began walk/running quickly toward us. He turned around while telling us what happened but the figure wasn't there. Although we waited there for a bit and then returned a couple of times over the next couple of days, we were unsuccessful at getting the figure to reappear.