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The most famous standoff in the Wild West took place in 1881—and it was only thirty seconds long, thanks to one legendary cowboy by the name of Doc Holliday.
Lawless Land
The story of Doc Holliday has served as inspiration for countless books, musical works, movies, and television shows. The dentist-turned-outlaw is best known for his role in the events that culminated in the famed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, but he earned quite the reputation long before that day.
Fighting the Odds
Holliday suffered from a fatal illness while he and the Earp brothers made a name for themselves out in the West. However, Holliday wasn’t always a gun-toting, mean-mugging bandit. In fact, his life began much differently than one would believe…
Son of a Soldier
Contrary to popular belief, “Doc” isn’t Holliday’s real first name. Born John Henry Holliday in August of 1851, Holliday was born to Alice Jane Holliday Henry Burroughs Holliday, a soldier who served in both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. Holliday had an adopted brother, Francisco. Unfortunately, the family wouldn’t remain together for long.
The War Escalates
In 1862, the threat of Union troops forced the family to move further south to Valdosta, Georgia. The Hollidays soon grew integral to the community. Holliday’s mother did her best to shield him from the horrors of war…
Mild-Mannered Child
Even though battles were waging all around him, Holliday never adopted a violent nature. In fact, despite who he became later in life, Holliday was a quiet, brilliant student. He suffered from speech impediments due to a cleft palate. Holliday’s mother, Alice, spent years helping him improve his diction. After undergoing corrective surgery, Holliday was able to meet his true potential…
Kid Genius
Holliday was an incredible student, excelling in rhetoric, math, and history at the Valdosta Institute. He also became fluent in French, Latin, and Ancient Greek. By 20 years old, Holliday had passed his first major milestone…
Calm Before the Storm
By the time he was 20, Holliday had earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, which later became part of the present-day University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Sadly, despite his success, he had endured significant tragedy along the way.
Tragic Loss
Holliday’s mother passed away in 1866 after succumbing to tuberculosis. Her death devastated Holliday, who loved his mother deeply. Not long afterward, Francisco contracted tuberculosis and passed away. After their deaths, Holliday’s father remarried a woman only a few years older than him. Holliday needed an escape…
Twist of Fate
In an effort to leave his past behind him, Holliday left home to practice dentistry in Georgia and Missouri. At first, things went well—until Holliday received news that he couldn’t ignore. Shortly after beginning his dental practice, the young man was diagnosed with the same disease that killed his mother and brother.
Diagnosed with Tuberculosis
Holliday was only given a few months to live, but doctors told him that a warmer, drier climate might help to slow the progression of his illness. Later that year, Holliday set off for Dallas, Texas, otherwise known as the “last big city before the uncivilized Western Frontier.” There, his life would really begin…
Starting Fresh
Upon his arrival in Dallas, Holliday partnered with a friend of his father’s. The pair won numerous awards for their dental work. However, tuberculosis was beginning to take a toll on his health…
Business Was Waning
Holliday began to experience violent coughing fits at random. His dental practice slowly began to decline in popularity. The money was disappearing fast, and Holliday needed another way to make money. He turned to the only way he knew how to make a quick buck.
Bad Habits
Holliday quickly realized that he possessed some skill when it came to gambling, and it soon became his only source of income. In May of 1874 Holliday and a group of men were kicked out of the city for illegal gambling. The more money he earned, the darker his lifestyle became...
Fightin’ John
After Holliday was driven out of Dallas, it wasn’t long before he made a name for himself. Throughout his gambling sprees, Holliday earned himself quite a violent reputation, spending numerous nights in jail on the way to Denver, Colorado. There, he met the only woman he ever loved…
Big Nose Kate
While dealing cards at a saloon, Holliday met Mary Katharine “Big Nose Kate” Horony, a woman from the dance hall and occasional sex worker. Her nickname was due to her prominent nose. Holliday described her as a “tough, stubborn and fearless” woman. She was the only person with whom Holliday ever had a relationship.
No Conscience
Despite his predilection for violence, Holliday was known to be an even-tempered man. Once, during an interview, Holliday was asked if his conscience ever bothered him. “I coughed that up with my lungs years ago,” he said. Soon afterward, he ran into the man that would define his future: Wyatt Earp.
A Friendship Is Born
Although the details remain murky, Holliday befriended Wyatt Earp, an Old West lawman and gambler and deputy marshal. Legend has it that Earp was pursuing “Dirty” Dave Rudabaugh, the leader of a group of outlaws, when he met Holliday while gambling. He questioned Holliday about the bandits’ whereabouts…
Right Time, Right Place
Holliday didn’t reveal anything, and Earp chased Rudabaugh to Kansas, but that wasn’t the last time the two would meet. Some time later, Holliday and Horony arrived in Dodge City, where Holliday was looking for dentist work. Earp was in town, too—and Holliday would become the man who saved his life.
Shootout at Long Branch
While Holliday was gambling in the back room of Long Branch Saloon, cowboys that Earp had once driven out of Wichita began terrorizing and shooting up the town. They entered the saloon and began to vandalize the room and harass the customers…
Rescuing His Friend
Alerted to the commotion, Earp ran into the room, but the cowboys drew their guns and pointed them at his chest. Holliday walked out from the back room. He drew his own gun and put it against the lead cowboy’s head, forcing his crew to disarm themselves.
Earp Had His Back
Earp thanked Holliday for saving his life, and the two struck up a friendship. Over the next few years, Earp managed to extricate Holliday from a number of sticky situations, including an infamous stagecoach robbery that began with a nasty fight between Holliday and Horony…
The Stagecoach Robbery
After one particularly ugly drunken fight, Holliday kicked Horony out of his house. The county sheriff saw the opportunity to get Holliday behind bars; they plied Horony with alcohol and suggested a way for her to get even with Holliday…
Under the Influence
Horony, drunk and furious, signed an affidavit implication Holliday in an attempted robbery and murder of a stagecoach carrying the modern equivalent of $689,000. However, the Earp family attested to Holliday’s alibi, and when Horony sobered up, she revealed that the sheriff had tricked her into signing a document she didn’t fully understand.
Proven Innocent
The district attorney called the charges “ridiculous” and Holliday’s name was cleared. In the end, Holliday gave Horony some cash and sent her out of town. A few years later, Holliday found himself in court once again, this time for one of the well-known gunfights in history…
Teasing Gone Wrong
On October 26, 1881, Holliday got into a heated disagreement with fellow outlaw Ike Clanton at the Alhambra Saloon. Holliday challenged Clanton to a duel, but Clanton was unarmed. He didn’t let it go, instead taunting Clanton about the death of his father, who Holliday claimed to have recently killed…
Famous Quote
The next morning, Holliday was rudely awoken by Clanton standing over his bed, threatening to murder him. Holliday famously said, “If God will let me live to get my clothes on, he will see me.” Fortunately, the lawmen got wind of what was going on, and managed to put Clanton behind bars before things got ugly—or so they thought.
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
While Clanton was in jail, his fellow cowboys arrived at the scene, facing off against Holliday, Earp, and others. Thirty seconds later, 30 bullets had been fired, and Clanton’s crew were shot dead. It is reported that Holliday was responsible for shooting all three of Clanton’s men.
Lifelong Companions
The shootout became known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It has been depicted as one of the Wild West’s most infamous battles in movies and television. Earp and Holliday remained close friends for life…
Succumbing to His Disease
Holliday spent the last of his days in Colorado. Broke and weakened by his disease, Holliday continued to enter saloon fights up until the very end. He spent time in Glenwood Springs to help alleviate his condition, but it only made his symptoms worse. Holliday called upon Mary Horony to keep him company during his final hours…
Dying With His Boots Off
During Holliday’s last moments, he glanced at his bare feet and said, “This is funny.” Holliday lived assuming that he would die with his boots still on. He passed away in November of 1887. “Few men have been better known to a certain class of sporting people, and few men of his character had more friends or stronger champions,” read his obituary.
Legendary Gunslinger
Earp expressed his fondness for Holliday, stating, “I found him a loyal friend and good company.” Holliday’s legacy lived far beyond his time, cementing him as one of the most memorable figures in history.