Cowboys, the main antagonists of the classic western Tombstoneactually have a connection to real history. Tombstone based on the true story of Wyatt Earp, his Doc Holiday brothers and their fateful time in Tombstone, Arizona. However, like all films based on real events, Tombstone also takes some creative liberties with the story and dramatizes the story of the lawyers. It would make sense for the Cowboys to be part of this dramatization, given their power and oppressive presence throughout the film, but the truth is more interesting.
Both Westerns and history are filled with gangs of outlaws. Some of the best Westerns of all time feature gangs and their charismatic leaders, and they are a popular topic for romanticization. Although many famous works have elevated Western gangs into heroes, Tombstone did a lot to demonize its main antagonists, the Cowboys. In the 143 years since Wyatt Earp took on the Cowboys and several film adaptations of the story, the truth has gotten a little muddied, but it remains just as fascinating.
The Tombstone Cowboy Gang was based on a real group in Cochise County
Cowboys, like the Earp brothers and Doc Holiday, were real people
Like everything else in TombstoneThe Cowboys were based on a real-life gang that operated in Mexico, New Mexico and Cochise County in Arizona from approximately 1870 to 1882. The gang had many names – it was sometimes called the Clanton Gang, but its members were more often called simply the Cowboys.. Nowadays, “cowboy” is a neutral or often positive term for people who raise livestock and work on ranches, but in Arizona in the early 1880s it was a derogatory term for an outlaw (via Discover southeastern Arizona). That title earned them the Cowboys’ most-committed offense.
Connected
The Cowboys began as a loose group of outlaws who traveled to Mexico, stole cattle and drove them back to be sold in the United States. They also made a name for themselves in Tombstone, although they committed most of their crimes outside the city. One of their favorite places to ambush passing stagecoaches was Skeleton Canyon in the Peloncillo Mountains. Two separate events are called the “Skeleton Canyon Massacre”, where cowboys killed Mexican citizens passing through the area.. Bye Tombstone did a good job of portraying their evilness, but not everything about the gang was conveyed correctly.
How do Tombstone cowboys differ from the real version?
The tombstone showed the reality of the cowboys’ crimes
Tombstone does a good job of accurately depicting the Cowboys, but there are some differences. The most obvious difference between Tombstone and real life depends on the size of the gang. Tombstone Only about 30 Cowboys were shown at a time, but in real life, historians estimate the gang had 300 members.. However, apart from such minor differences, Tombstone basically portrayed the Cowboys as what they were: completely hated. A local newspaper editorial demanded that someone deal with the Cowboys just a month before the OK Corral shootout (via American Cowboy Chronicles).
What happened to cowboys in real life
Wyatt Earp’s revenge ultimately led to the destruction of the Cowboys
The actual fate of the Cowboys coincided fairly closely with the Cowboys’ ending. Tombstonealthough there were a few key differences. As in the film, the beginning of the end for the Cowboys came after Earp’s Vendetta, when Wyatt Earp hunted them down to avenge Morgan’s murder and Virgil’s attack.. However, the story diverges from the film in its timeline. IN TombstoneWyatt, Doc Holiday and the rest of the squad completely dismantled the Cowboys in one battle. In real life, the few survivors of the Earp Vendetta continued to commit crimes for any length of time.
While Tombstone changed a few things about the Cowboys, it did a very good job of showing why the Earps wanted them dead.
The Earps eventually left Tombstone, and the Cowboys’ power over Arizona was never the same. Several officials attempted to form a posse to eliminate the remaining Cowboys, but this was never successful. Eventually, William Tecumseh Sherman, the preeminent general of the American Civil War, and Frederick Trittle, then governor of the Arizona Territory, convinced President Chester Arthur to issue a proclamation ordering the Cowboys to disperse. Their reign of terror ended soon after, in 1882. Tombstone changed some things in the Cowboys, it did a very good job of showing why the Earps wanted them dead.
Sources: Discover southeastern Arizona, American Cowboy Chronicles