By: Sherry E Engler

His cold, gritty stare at his foe invites danger as he holds his hand slightly on top of the gun butt slung in the worn leather holster at his hip. His unkempt appearance from his worn-out cowboy hat down to his black boots sporting large silver spurs gives him an ominous presence. Being accused of being a rowdy drunk ruffian in the saloon has provoked other customers to toss him through the swinging saloon doors out onto the dirt street. Saloon girls, cattle pokes, and others watch in earnest as the desperado seems determined to settle the brawl with his Peacemaker, a .45 Colt Revolver. As he aims drunkenly at one of the bouncers who shoved him out of the raucous establishment, a man, dressed in a long, black duster rounds the corner quickly, yelling commands to drop the weapon. The ruffian turns to shoot the lawman instead, but the lawman is a speedy draw. Quick actions end the turmoil, as a loud bang pierces the air with the aroma of gunpowder lingering briefly as the lout of a cowboy lay dying in the dust of the wild west town.

The above scenario or similar ones describe the roughness of the “Old Wild West”, perhaps depicting numerous shoot-outs occurring in both Dodge City, Kansas and Tombstone, Arizona. Unruly characters and lawlessness in the late 1800s gained both towns the status of being icons in the history of the west, with testimonials on record of the legacies of the heroes who were good, the outlaws who were bad, and perhaps to accurately describe most, the legends who were a little good and a little bad. 

Though the two towns lie approximately 850 miles apart, and their topography, climate, and weather differ vastly, Dodge City and Tombstone have many similarities surrounding their wild west days, even sharing some of the most famous legends of all time: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Doc Holiday.

From the mid-1800s through the 1880s the lure to fortune in Dodge City was the hunting of bison, the large buffalo herds roaming abundantly on the Midwest's vast grasslands. Buffalo hides were in demand and very profitable for the buffalo hunter. Many prospered by being accurate sharpshooters and fast hide skinners. According to historical accounts, Bat and Ed Masterson met Wyatt Earp hunting buffalo in the Northeast Oklahoma Territory; their friendship would later relocate all three to Dodge City.

Additionally, hunting buffalo was not the only lure to Dodge City. Longhorn cattle runs from Texas north to Dodge City proved prosperous. Thus, Dodge City became a target town for brothels, saloons, drinking, and gambling. These wild towns catered to cowboys, tired from the dusty trails, and proved to be very prosperous as well as quite disruptive.

In 1876, Wyatt Earp moved to Dodge City where he later served as Deputy City Marshall and Deputy Sheriff, serving along with his brother, Morgan, and later, his friend Bat Masterson. In 1877, Ed Masterson was appointed Assistant Marshall of the disorderly town, and Bat, his brother, became the Ford County Undersheriff later that year. There have been many notations of Wyatt Earp’s calmness amid the dangers of apprehending gunslingers. Perhaps one of the most notorious gunslingers to be in Dodge was Doc Holiday, a close friend of Wyatt. Wyatt convinced Doc Holiday and his acquaintance, Big Nose Kate to relocate to Dodge City. Of course, Doc’s main interest was the gambling and drinking. Some believe Faro was his favorite gambling game. 

Some were good; some were bad, and some were a little of both. For example, before Wyatt moved to Kansas, he was accused of horse stealing. Bat Masterson served a night in jail when his brother was Assistant Marshall because Bat witnessed an arrestee being mishandled by Marshal Deger and helped the arrestee escape. They were both apprehended and spent a night in jail. Sadly, Ed Masterson would be fatally shot in the line of duty in Dodge City on April 8, 1878.

By 1879, Wyatt Earp grew restless in Dodge, wanting to find fortune as an entrepreneur. Thus, the likes of Tombstone, Arizona, the growing mining town of those seeking silver, seemed like the perfect place to land a gambling operation. His brothers joined him. Bat Masterson would also join him, leaving Dodge City and traveling to Tombstone, where he worked as a faro dealer at Tombstone’s Oriental Saloon along with Wyatt Earp. However, Bat would remain for only two months in Tombstone because he was urgently summoned by telegraph to return to Dodge City to help his brother, Jim, in a dispute over an investment in a saloon.

Doc Holiday and Big Nose Kate also relocated to Tombstone, supporting Wyatt in his quest. Yet, fame would not grant Earp or Holiday a name in history for their achieved riches, but, for the infamous shoot-out at the O.K. Corral against the gang known as “The Cowboys” on October 26, 1881.

Ironically, these two wild west towns share vast differences, nevertheless vast parallels. For example, if you are traveling to Dodge City, Kansas, you may want to visit Boot Hill Museum, where artifacts and displays carry you back in time to the buffalo hunts, longhorn cattle trails, and the days of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. If you are in Tombstone, Arizona, you might want to visit Boot Hill Graveyard to view the graves of Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, and Tom McLaury, “Cowboys” who died that fateful day at the O. K. Corral on October 26, 1881, by the quick actions of the Earps and Doc Holiday.

Both iconic wild west towns do not disappoint the modern traveler. Walking into the era of the late 1800s stretches the mind of what times must have been like in both Dodge City and Tombstone, opening your imagination to the tough, rugged, and wild times of the old west.

Don’t forget to watch the gunfights. Both Dodge City and Tombstone have reenactments of shoot-outs, where quick actions end the turmoil, as a loud bang pierces the air with the aroma of gunpowder lingering briefly as the lout of a cowboy lay (pretending to die) in the dust of the wild west town.

May all your travels be safe; may your wild west days be only in your imagination, and if anyone asks you about the old wild, wild, WILD west, may you automatically think of the matches between Dodge City and Tombstone.  Blessings!