Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Western Wednesday Gunfight...!

I know that we have all heard of the great "Gunfight at the OK Corral", but it's time to let the truth be known!

Hollywood has certainly had a big influence on the way we think of the old west, and this is just another of those cases. Not as glamorous, but shockingly more honest!

The Gunfight at the OK Corral

It’s the most iconic gunfight in history, the sort of thing Sam Peckinpah used to dream about on lonely nights—and it’s mostly crap.

For starters, it didn’t take place at the OK Corral, but in a nearby back alley. The only reason we associate it with the Corral is because that’s a hell of a snappier title. Second, the body count was low—as in three. Third, it lasted 30 seconds, some of which were taken up by two of the participants running away like little girls.

Nor was the aftermath any more heroic. Wyatt and Holliday were arrested for murder, Earp lost his job as sheriff and evidence surfaced that not only was one of the dead men unarmed, but Holliday probably pulled a Han Solo and fired first. While the charges were eventually dropped, many local people were pushing for conviction—at the funeral of the three men killed, 300 mourners turned out, while nearly two thousand citizens lined the route. It wasn’t until 1931 that a book came out portraying Earp as a modern saint, and by then everyone involved was too old or dead to care.

Makes you wonder just how many of the stories of western times were expanded and glorified, doesn't it? If you want to read some other facts about the days of the "Wild West", why not ramble over to Listverse and check it out!

Coffee out on the patio this morning. It may rain, but at this point I don't care!

12 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

A good story is in the telling!

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
That it is, my friend. Makes history much more interesting, that's for sure!

Thanks for coming by today!

Chickenmom said...

You mean Hollywood lied to us???
The patio is fine - I'll bring a big bowl of mixed fruit!

Mamahen said...
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Mamahen said...
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Sixbears said...

Once again, real life turns out to be a shabby thing.

IanH said...

It's something like a newspaper (remember them?}, nobody prints bad news 'cause folks seem to prefer bad over good.

linda m said...

I had the privilege to visit Tombstone, AZ and they do tell the "real" story there. Hollywood lied to us and tried to glorify to story to make the movie more exciting. The "Old West" was a very harsh place and there was a lot of "shoot first" or be killed. (I worked for the AZ Office of Tourism so I was informed about a lot of the truth of the old west and it wasn't at all like Hollywood wants us to believe). Good story this morning. Coffee on the patio sounds good.

JO said...

Good post this morning my friend. Yes fact or fiction? But it sure wasn't at all like the movies. Tombstone is a great place to visit but you shouldn't just stay to the main roads explore. Found a very old cemetery. No Boot Hill either.

I don't mind being on the patio with everyone. Had a real good rain last night.

Dizzy-Dick said...

Question everything you see on TV and half of the stuff you read in history books. Even newspapers don't get the news right. I have witnessed an event then read about it the next day, and I never saw whet the said happened.

HermitJim said...

Hey Phyllis...
I know! Shocking, isn't it?

Fruit is fine by me!

Thanks for the visit this morning!



Hey Sixbears...
Certainly not as glamorous as we were led to believe!

Thanks, my friend, for coming over this morning!



Hey Ian...
Like you say, only the bad news draws most readers! Sad!

Many thanks for dropping by today!



Hey Linda...
So often the embellished is more fun than the truth!

I'm glad to have you come over today!



Hey Jo...
Off the beaten path is so often the most interesting way to explore!

Thanks, sweetie, for coming over today!



Hey Dizzy...
We used to say "believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see!" Holds true today as well!

Thanks, buddy, for coming by today!

BBC said...

Do you believe everything you read at Listverse?