Virginia spoke softly and gently, "I believe that Sitting Bull represents one who sacrifices for others.  Just as he sacrificed his freedom and way of life for the good of his people, you have sacrificed your biggest dreams to please the will of others.  I believe the spirit of Sitting Bull is in all of us when we sacrifice.  Sacrifice can be a good thing, but it can also be bad.  Has sacrificing your dream of being a writer been good or bad?" 
    "Well, I do have a comfortable life, and I have pleased my family.  But I have given up my life's dream in the process.  I feel like such a coward.  Sitting Bull stood up to a nation and an entire way of thinking.  He was a hero.  I can't even stand up for myself!" 
    "My child, perhaps that is why you have found me today," she replied, slowly turning over the last card...



The Hero
Wyatt Earp





wyatt earp

"Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp,
Brave, courageous, and bold.
Long live his fame, and long live his glory,
And long may his story be told."

                                                    -Theme song of 1955 T.V. Western,
                                                        "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp."



Wyatt Earp shot his way into legendary status.  He is the most famous Wild West lawman of all-time.  He was a cool character who shot only when shot at.  He was a natural peacemaker who had the respect of men on both sides of the law.  Wyatt Earp didn't like to fight, but when it was necessary he was deadly.  Wyatt Earp could clean up a town faster than an outlaw could steal a horse, and there were many who tried to challenge him.  Too bad for the challengers Wyatt was always a little quicker than they were. 

colt

He and his family arrived in California in 1864 via the Overland Trail at age 16.  On the journey, Wyatt had helped fight off two separate groups of Comanche Indians.  While other men fired from behind mealy bags, Wyatt stood firing his gun out in the open, bravely defending the wagon train from the Indian attackers.  Over the next few years, Wyatt made his way east and ended up in Kansas, where he made quite a name for himself as an advocate of justice and doing what was right.  He became the sherriff of Wichita, a rough and untamed town back then.  He was appalled at the lawlessness he was faced with.  Wyatt quickly began changing things for the better.  He enforced a new curfew, drinking laws, and rules for carrying guns.  The rough characters of the town listened to him.  They knew if they didn't, they would get the butt-end of Earp's revolver, which was called "The Peacemaker."  He meant business.
badge


In the Spring of 1876, Wyatt received a telegram from the mayor of the infamous Dodge City.  The mayor pleaded for Earp's help in cleaning up the wild and wooly town and, if he accepted, he would be paid the astronomical salary of $250 per month!  Wyatt accepted the position.  Earp knew that Dodge City went by the name "The Fabulous Babylon."  The city boomed with the cattle trade, gambling, alcoholism, prostitution, crime, and murder, and every sherriff there had either been run out of town or shot in the back.  Wyatt quickly began laying down the law and filling up the jail.  Several attempts were made on his life, but to no avail.  Wyatt Earp stayed in Dodge City until it was a clean and quiet town.
poker
Wyatt later moved to Tombstone to join his two brothers.  Tombstone was a new town in Arizona territory.  Iit was a corrupt place, run by the Clanton gang, a family of cattle rustlers who lived above the law through bribes to law enforcement officers.  Now that the three Earp brothers were there, things were bound to get messy.  Wyatt met and fell in love with Josie Marcus, an actress who had come to Tombstone earlier and stayed after meeting County Sherriff  John Behan.  The relationship between Behan and Josie quickly dissolved when Josie met Wyatt, and Behan never forgave them.  He even fell in with the Clanton gang in their efforts to get rid of Wyatt. 

josie marcus


On October 26, 1881, the conflict would come to a head in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.  The Clanton gang came to town looking for a fight with Wyatt and his gang, and a fight is just what they got.  It only took 40 seconds for Wyatt, his brothers, and their good friend Doc Holliday (who came along for some action) to leave the entire Clanton gang dead in the street.  Legend holds that County Sherriff Behan promptly approached Wyatt and said, "You're under arrest."  To this, Wyatt simply replied, "Not today," before walking past the stunned Sherriff.  Wyatt spent the rest of his life fighting for justice in the streets of Tombstone and elsewhere.  He died peacefully in his bed with Josie by his side.  He was nearly 81 years old.  Throughout his life, Wyatt Earp was a lawman determined to uphold justice and order while protecting the citizens who depended upon him.  He was a lover of peace, but was anything but a pushover.  He is still one of the most legendary figures of the Wild West. 



WILL I FIND MY HERO?
Read the Conclusion of my storybook!

Author's Note:
The story of Wyatt Earp is one of those rare instances where "the man meets the legend."  While his life has been the stuff of many a dime-store novel or Hollywood movie, most of the tale told above is thought to be true.  One interesting thing about Wyatt Earp's story is that in more recent years, some writers have attempted to paint him as a coldblooded, corrupt killer only interested in personal gain.  While it is true that Earp did invest in property and own some gambling establishments in these towns, this negative view of him is largely thought to be unsupported and false.  In reality, his role in shaping the West as a frontiersman, a lawman, a gambler and a prospector is celebrated in history.  In American legend, Wyatt Earp stands for courage, uprightness, and all that was just in the Wild West. 


Some Sources:

"Wyatt Earp: Knight With A Six-Shooter"
Crime Library
By: Joseph Geringer
Website: CourtTV
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"Wyatt Earp: Desert Lawman and Adventurer"
Desert USA 1996-2005
By: Jim Bremner
Published by: Digital West Media, Inc.
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Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
Metropolitan News Company 1997-2003
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Images:

Image #1: "Wyatt Earp"
Buhler.edu
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Image #2: "Colt Revolver"
lntrade
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Image #3: "Badge"
Gold Mountain Mining Co.
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Image #4: "Gamblers"
Historic Photo Archive
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Image #5: "Josie Marcus"
Crime Library
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Project By: Amanda Cook
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Wild West Legends