The cowboys, the main antagonists of the classic West tombstoneactually have a connection to real-life history. tombstone is based on the true story of Wyatt Earp, his brothers, Doc Holliday, and their fateful time in the town of Tombstone, Arizona. As with all movies based on true stories, however, tombstone It also takes some creative liberties with the story, and it dramatizes the story of the lawmen. It would make sense if the cowboys were part of the dramatization, given their power and oppressive presence throughout the film, but the truth is more interesting.
Both Westerns and history are filled with outlaw gangs. Some of the best Western movies of all time focus on gangs and their charismatic leaders, and they are a popular subject for romanticization. While many notable works elevated Western gangs into heroes, tombstone Has quite a bit to demonize its main antagonists, the cowboys. In the 143 years since Wyatt Earp took on the cowboys, and after several movie adaptations of the story, the truth has gotten a little muddy, but it’s still just as riveting.
Tombstone’s Cowboys Gang is based on a real group in Cochise County
The cowboys, like the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, are real people
Like everything else in tombstoneThe Cowboys are based on a real-life band that operated in Mexico, New Mexico, and the Cochise County of the Arizona Territory from about 1870 to 1882. The gang has many names – it is sometimes referred to as the Clanton Gang, but its members are more commonly referred to as the Cowboys. Nowadays, “cowboy” is a neutral or often positive term for people who tend cattle and work on ranches, but in Arizona in the early 1880s, it was a derogatory term for a criminal (by. Discover Southeast Arizona). The Cowboys’ most frequent offense earned them the title.
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The cowboys began as a loose group of outlaws who would drive into Mexico, steal cattle, and herd them back to sell in the United States. They also made quite a name for themselves in Tombstone, although they committed most of their crimes outside the city limits. One of their favorite places to wait for passing stage coaches is Skeleton Canyon, in the Peloncillo Mountains. Two separate events are referred to as “The Skeleton Canyon Massacres,” where cowboys killed Mexican citizens traveling through the area.. While tombstone Did a good job of depicting their viciousness, it didn’t get everything about the gang right.
How Tombstone’s cowboys compare to the real-life version
Tombstone showed the reality of the cowboys’ crimes
tombstone Does a fairly good job of portraying the cowboys accurately, but there are also some differences. The clearest difference between tombstone And real life is in the size of the band. tombstone Only ever showed about 30 cowboys at a time, but in real life, historians have estimated that there were 300 members of the band. Apart from minor differences like that, however, tombstone Mostly portrayed the cowboys as they were: thoroughly hated. A local newspaper editorial demanded that someone deal with the Cowboys just a month before the shootout at the OK Corral (via American Cowboy Chronicles).
What happened to the cowboys in real life
Wyatt Earp’s revenge eventually led to the destruction of the cowboys
The real-life fate of the cowboys matches fairly closely with the ending of tombstoneAlthough there are also a few key differences. As in the movie, the beginning of the end of the cowboys came after the Earp Vendetta, when Wyatt Earp hunted them down to take revenge for Morgan’s murder and Virgil’s attack. Where the story diverges from the film, however, is in the timeline. in tombstoneWyatt, Doc Holliday, and the rest of the posse completely disbanded the Cowboys in a single fight. In real life, the few survivors of the Earp Vendetta continued committing crimes for a time.
Although Tombstone changes some things about the cowboys, it does a very good job of showing why the Earps wanted them dead.
Eventually, the Earps left Tombstone, and the Cowboys’ power over Arizona was never the same. Several officials tried to form a position to eliminate the remaining cowboys, but they never came. Eventually, William Tecumseh Sherman, a prominent general in the American Civil War, and Frederick Tritle, the governor of the Arizona Territory at the time, convinced President Chester Arthur to issue a decree ordering the cowboys to disperse. Their reign of terror ended soon after that, in 1882. Although tombstone Changed some things about the cowboys, it did a very good job of showing why the Earps wanted them dead.
Sources: Discover Southeast Arizona, American Cowboy Chronicles