It’s the 139th Anniversary of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral. It didn’t actually take place in the O.K. Corral, but historians and promoters alike have long contended that “Shootout at the O.K. Corral” sounds miles better than “Shootout at the Lot Next to C. S. Fly’s Photographic Studio.” Just has a better ring to it. Now, as I’m sure you recall, the 1881 gunfight had town Marshal Virgil Earp, his two brothers, Morgan and Wyatt, and Doc Holliday on the side of law and order, as it were, and a loose-knit group of outlaws calling themselves The Cowboys on the other. When the smoke cleared, 30 seconds and 30 bullets later, three of the Cowboys lay dead, while the rest scattered. On the other side, all but Wyatt were wounded. Now, you’re probably wondering, “Did these lawmen and desperadoes like a drink or two?” They did. All of them, though Virgil was known to turn down a shot of whiskey while making his rounds as Town Marshall. Not always, but sometimes. The biggest boozer of the group was most likely professional gambler Doc Holliday. It has been claimed that he averaged three quarts of whiskey a day, but considering he was a tuberculosis case and not a very large man, I find that a little hard to believe. Then again, playing cards all day is thirsty work. And maybe TB makes you just want to lay it back. Who knows? True story: While confined to a hospital bed in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Doc self-medicated right up to the very end. He took one last sip of whiskey, looked at the nurse, said, “This is funny,” then leaped straight off this mortal coil.
