Famous Lawmen of the Wild West

Wyatt Earp (1848-1929)

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an Old West lawman and gambler in Cochise County, Arizona Territory, and a deputy marshal in Tombstone.

Early life:
Wyatt was born in Iowa on March 19th, 1848. His family soon moved to Missouri where Wyatt became a local constable. He bought land and built a house, but sold it again when his wife died in childbirth. He began to get into trouble for stealing money meant for public funding.

In 1871 he was charged with stealing two horses, escaped from jail and headed to Illinois. He became an entrepreneur and did all sorts: owned several saloons, mined for silver and gold, and refereed boxing matches. He was arrested and fined several times for small offences.

Career:
In 1874 he moved to Wichita, Kansas and was appointed to the Wichita police force. He developed a good reputation as a lawman, but was fined and dismissed from the force after getting into a fistfight. He moved to Dodge City, Kansas where he became an assistant city marshal.

In 1879 he moved with brothers James and Virgil to Tombstone, where he became deputy sheriff. The Earps clashed with an informal group of outlaws known as the “Cowboys” who threatened to kill them. The conflict escalated over the next year, culminating in the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881. Three Cowboys were killed and Wyatt was uninjured, thanks to being an expert shot and extremely cool under pressure.

A lifelong gambler, Wyatt kept moving to make money. He joined gold rushes, owned racehorses and ran saloons. As well as a lawman, he worked as a boxing referee.

Death:
Earp died in his home, aged 80, on January 13th, 1929, after suffering from liver disease.

Legacy:
Nowadays his reputation is of one of the Wild West’s toughest and deadliest gunmen, but his fame only really spread after a biography, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal, was published in 1931 and became a bestseller. Since then, he has been the subject of many films, television shows, biographies and novels.

Pat Garrett (1850-1908)

Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett was an Old West lawman.

Early life:
He was born on June 5, 1850, in Alabama. His father bought a plantation in Louisiana but died young, as did Pat’s mother, so Pat had to become independent from a young age. At age 18, he headed west to find work.

By 1876 he was in Texas hunting buffalo, but shortly after began working as a cowboy in New Mexico. He settled there, and before long was married and had eight children.

Career:
In 1880 he was elected sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico. He made it his mission to track down the fugitive Billy the Kid (according to legend, the two had known each other in the past and had even supposedly been seen gambling together in saloons).

On December 19, 1880, Billy the Kid and his gang rode into Fort Sumner. Garrett and his posse were lying in wait and opened fire, but another man was mistaken for the Kid and shot, while Billy got away. However, three days later, Garrett cornered the gang. They killed one man and captured the others, including the Kid. However, he escaped from jail and Garrett had to track him down all over again. Finally, he found out where the Kid was staying and crept into his room in the middle of the night on July 14, 1881. This time he shot Billy dead.

Pat went on to track down other fugitives, but bad investments led to him getting deep into debt.

Death:
On Feb 29th, 1908, Pat Garrett was shot by a fellow rancher, Jesse Brazel, who he had fallen out with over money matters. However, Brazel got off on lack of evidence, and some people believe he was not the real killer.

Legacy:
Pat Garrett became famous as the man who tracked down and killed the notorious Billy the Kid. He has been portrayed in films and in books.