Lawmen

Lawmen in the old west consisted of U.S. Marshals appointed by the Attorney General, Sheriffs who were elected by city or town residents, Sheriffs Deputies, Constables, Rangers, and Peace officer hired by a superior law enforcement officer. These lawmen were an essential part to daily life in towns throughout the west. The old west was a lawless region that needed lawmen to tame it for future growth and settlements. The lawmen were entrusted with not only enforcing the law but also serving the public in ways that people would not expect. Lawmen were not always engaging in gunfights but rather did things to serve their community much like law enforcement today. However, this is not to say that these lawmen lived an easy boring life. Being a lawmen in the old west required a tough man that was especially fond of using firearms. It also required a man that was intelligent and persuasive since some of the positions like Sheriff required an election process.

There will be two Primary sources used in this wiki page about lawmen, more specifically Wyatt Earp. The textually based primary source was written in 1886 by the New Haven Evening Register and talks about the life of Wyatt Earp. This is a very relevant primary source as it directly relates to one of the most iconic lawmen of the old west. This account on the life a Wyatt Earp came out when Earp was still a lawmen which gives and interesting perspective on what people thought of Wyatt Earp at the time. The visual primary source will be a picture of Wyatt Earp taken in and around the years 1869-1871. This is a a good visual primary source as it is a picture of an iconic lawmen of the old west.

Wyatt Earp
The period of the old west saw many lawmen become legends in their own right. One of the most iconic and legendary lawman of the old west was Wyatt Earp. Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth Illinois on March 19, 1848. He spends much of his childhood traveling around the midwest and eventually settles in California with his family. In his early adulthood, Earp explores the old west while hauling freight. There is then a period after his wife Urilla Sutherland dies unexpectedly that Earp lives a life like an outlaw.

In October of 1874, Wyatt gains notoriety when he helps a police officer track down a thief whole stole a wagon. After this Earp receives his first job in law enforcement as a police officer in Wichita, Kansas. He holds this job for a few years before becoming a deputy town marshal in Dodge City, Kansas. After a year as deputy town marshal, Earp becomes the City Marshal of Dodge City.

Then in December of 1889, Wyatt Earp joins his older brother Virgil in the town of Tombstone, Arizona where his brother Virgil was both a deputy U.S. Marshal and City Marshal. On his arrival in Tombstone, Wyatt joins a posse to track down the outlaws who robbed a stage coach and killed its driver. The posse is partially successful as they catch one of the men responsible for the crime. For this, Earp seeks out Ike Clanton, a rancher who has ties with outlaws. Ike initially agrees to accept a $6,000 reward to help Wyatt and his brother. However, Ike gets increasingly paranoid that Earp will tell the outlaws that he had something to do with their capture. Ike then gets drunk and starts to make threats to Earp in the town of Tombstone. On the day of October 26, 1881, tensions between Ike Clanton and Wyatt Earp come to a head when suddenly a gunfight erupts at the OK Corral. The fight consisted of Wyatt, his brothers, Virgil and Morgan, and Doc Holiday against Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Tom Mclaury, and Frank Mclaury. As a result of the fight, Virgil, Morgan, and Doc Holiday are wounded but survive. Tom Mclaury, Frank Mclaury, and Billy Clanton are killed in the fight while Ike escapes with his life. Wyatt was unarmed from the infamous gunfight at OK Corral.

On December 29,1881, Earp becomes Deputy United States Marshal. A couple months after the OK Corral gunfight, Wyatt and his brother, Morgan, are attacked while at a saloon which ends in Morgan being killed. As result of this, Wyatt assembles a posse to hunt down whoever was responsible for his brothers death. In search of his brothers killer, Wyatt and his posse kill three men that he thinks are responsible for his brother's death. After spending his life as a lawmen in the old west, Earp lives a quite life until his death in Los Angeles in 1929.

Other Notable Lawmen
Wyatt Earp wasn't the only infamous lawman of the old west. Bat Masterson was another legendary lawman of the old west. He served as a deputy sheriff in the city of Dodge City alongside Wyatt Earp. He was later elected to office as the Sheriff of Ford County which encompassed Dodge City, Kansas. He was known for his cool demeanor and his masterful marksmanship skills which helped him become a legendary figure of the old west. Another legendary lawman of the old west was James B. "Wild Bill" Hickok. Wild Bill started his career as a lawman in Kansas at the age of 20. In 1869, Hickok became Sheriff of Hays City, Kansas, where it is said that he killed several men in gunfights. In 1871, he took over as City Marshal of Abilene, Kansas. Hickok was also responsible for several deaths as City Marshal of Abilene. He is also responsible for the death of one of his deputy Marshals who was accidentally killed by Hickok. This eventually led to his dismissal as Marshal of Abilene, Kansas.

Written by Samuel Savona