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US Old West History
Page 3
 Contents: Old
West Pg. 1
| Old
West Pg. 2 | Old
West Pg. 3 |
1890 and beyond
(Cowboy
& Ranching) |
Fiction and non-fiction
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Detailed history: Gunfight
at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
was an event of legendary proportion in the Wild West. 'Bat' Masterson
visited Wyatt Earp in
Tombstone, Arizona, and left shortly before the famous
event. The gunfight occurred on Wednesday afternoon, October 26, 1881,
in a vacant lot, known as lot 2, in block 17 behind the corral in
Tombstone. Thirty shots were fired in thirty seconds. Wyatt
Earp,
Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp, and Morgan Earp
fought against
Billy Claiborne, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury,
Billy Clanton, and Ike Clanton. Both McLaurys were
killed, as was Billy Clanton.
Buffalo Bill Wild West Show
The frontiersman and showman Buffalo Bill (William Cody)
toured the United States starring in plays based loosely on his
Western adventures. His part typically included an 1876 incident
at the Warbonnet Creek where he scalped a Cheyenne warrior,
purportedly in revenge for the death of George Armstrong
Custer.
In Omaha, Nebraska, in 1883, Cody
founded the "Buffalo Bill Wild West Show," a circus-like
attraction that toured annually: Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull
both appeared in the show. In 1887, he performed in London in
celebration of the Jubilee year of Queen Victoria and toured
Europe in 1889.
Frisco Shootout
Elfego Baca became a legendary lawman near the end the wild
west. On December 1, 1884, in the town of Frisco (now Reserve, New
Mexico), Baca arrested one of a group of cowboys who had been
shooting up the town and had fired shots toward Baca. After
threats from the cowboy's friends, Baca took refuge in the house
of Geronimo Armijo. A standoff with the cowboys ensued, and a gang
of 80 cowhands attacked the house.
The story has it that the cowboys
fired more than 4,000 rounds into the house; not one of the rounds
hit Baca. During the siege Baca killed four of the attackers and
wounded eight others. After 36 hours, the attack ended when the
cowboys ran out of ammunition. Baca walked out of the house
unharmed. In May 1885, Baca was charged with the murder of one of
the cowboys who had attacked the cabin, and he was jailed until
his trial for murder. In August 1885, he was acquitted after the
door of Armijo’s house was entered as evidence. It had over 400
bullet holes in it.
Gunfighter
and Gunslinger
Details: Gunfighter and Gunslinger
Gunslinger,
also gunfighter, is a name given to men in the Old West who had
gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun.
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