An Old West lawman, Morgan Earp was a participant in the infamous O.K. Corral shootout, and his assassination in 1882 marked a tragic moment in the violent conflict between the Earp family and their enemies in Tombstone, Arizona.
Public DomainMorgan Earp in 1881.
Morgan Earp was one of the famous Earp brothers who became known for their involvement in the infamous gunfight at the O.K Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Raised in a large family, Morgan grew up working on his family’s farm in Iowa and dreaming of a life of adventure.
His chance came when the family moved to California and later to Montana, where Morgan began his career in law enforcement. Eventually, Morgan joined his brothers Wyatt and Virgil in Tombstone, during a silver boom, where he took on roles as a deputy U.S. marshal and stagecoach guard.
Tombstone became a dangerous place for the Earps as tensions grew between them and a group of ranchers known as the Cochise County Cowboys. These tensions culminated in the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in October 1881, a confrontation which left three Cowboys dead and during which Morgan was wounded. Although the Earp brothers were cleared of wrongdoing, the incident sparked a violent retaliation from their enemies.
In March 1882, Morgan Earp was assassinated while playing billiards in Tombstone. His death marked the climax of the conflict between the Earps and their rivals, and it fueled a manhunt led by Wyatt Earp to avenge his brother’s murder. Though Morgan’s life was cut short, his involvement in one of the Wild West’s most notorious events cemented his legacy.
Morgan Earp’s Winding Path To Tombstone
Wikimedia CommonsThe childhood home of Morgan Earp in Pella, Iowa, United States.
Morgan Seth Earp was born on April 24, 1851, in Pella, Iowa to Virginia Ann Cooksey and Nicholas Porter Earp. He one of ten children: Newton, Mariah Ann, James, Virgil, Martha, Wyatt, Warren, Virginia Ann, and Douglas Earp.
When Morgan Earp was only 10 years old, his brothers Newton, James, and Virgil joined the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War. This left Morgan Earp and his brothers Wyatt and Warren in charge of managing their family’s 80-acre property, alongside their father. Farming, however, purportedly wasn’t to Morgan’s liking. He craved adventure.
An opportunity for adventure came when Nicholas Earp family moved his family to San Bernardino, California in 1864, and then to Lamar, Missouri in 1868. There, Nicholas became a constable, then Justice of the Peace. Wyatt Earp followed in his father’s footsteps and became the new constable, thus beginning the family’s long relationship with law enforcement.
Morgan, however, had other things on his mind. While living in Missouri in the 1870s, he met Louisa Alice Houston. Though she is frequently referred to as Morgan’s “wife,” History Net notes that there’s no evidence that they married.
Public DomainMorgan Earp’s wife Louisa Alice Houston.
The couple bounced around different towns in the Wild West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Miles City, Montana, and Butte, Montana, and Morgan began working in law enforcement. Then, in July 1880, Morgan made his way to Tombstone, Arizona, to meet his brothers James, Virgil, and Wyatt.
How The Earp Brothers Became Lawmen In Tombstone
In Tombstone, the Earp brothers established themselves as lawmen. Virgil Earp became a deputy U.S. Marshal, and Wyatt Earp the deputy sheriff. Morgan Earp also worked as deputy with his brothers. (James Earp was not involved in law enforcement, and instead worked at a saloon.)
Wikimedia CommonsTombstone, Arizona in 1881, the year of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
As such, the Earps were responsible for keeping law and order in Tombstone. But that was no easy feat. Because of its location near a silver mine, Tombstone was growing fast. And because it was a cattle town, it was a hotbed for outlaw activity.
The Earp brothers soon found themselves at odds with a gang of cattle rustlers known as the Cochise County Cowboys. They were Confederate sympathizers; the Earps, of course, had supported the Union during the Civil War. This added to the tensions between the two factions. But things veered toward violence on Oct. 28, 1880 when one of the outlaws accidentally killed the town marshal, Fred White.
This elevated Virgil to be the town’s marshal, and Virgil quickly took action by making illegal for anyone to carry firearms. With this law in place, the Earps could easily arrest any of the Cochise County Cowboys.
Public DomainIke Clanton, one of the Cochise County Cowboys who antagonized the Earp brothers in Tombstone.
But the outlaws weren’t going to take this lying down. And the tensions between the two groups led to one of the most notorious moments in Wild West history: the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Morgan Earp And The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral
Though the seeds of the gunfight were sown with White’s death, things did not escalate until about a year later. On Oct. 25, 1881, Doc Holliday — a friend of the Earps — got into a fight with with one of the outlaws named Ike Clanton. Before long, Clanton began loudly threatening the Earps.
Public DomainThe gunfight actually took place several doors down from the Ok Corral, a livery and horse corral in Tombstone.
The next day, Oct 26. 1881, several skirmishes took place between the Earp brothers and the Cowboys. And then the Earps learned that the Cowboys were consolidating their weapons. This, of course, was illegal. So Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp — and Holliday — went to confront the outlaws.
They met in a narrow, empty lot near C. S. Fly’s photography studio — the O.K. Corral was actually several doors down — and Virgil Earp immediately demanded that the outlaws surrender.
“Boys, throw up your hands,” Virgil called. “I’ve come to disarm you.”
To this day, it’s debated who fired first.
In just 30 seconds, 30 shots were fired across the narrow lot. Three of the Cowboys were killed, and Holliday, Virgil, and Morgan Earp were shot. Though Morgan was shot across both shoulders, he was able to rise partway after being hit. According to History Net, he very likely fired the last shot of the gunfight, which killed Cowboy Frank McLaury.
Public DomainBilly Clanton, the outlaw who shot Morgan Earp in the shoulder during the Shootout at the O.K. Corral.
In the aftermath, many people in Tombstone actually sided with the outlaws — not the lawmen. The Earps faced charges for the gunfight, and a judge in town called it a an “injudicious and censurable act.” However, he also cleared Morgan Earp and his brothers of any wrongdoing, stating:
“When we consider the conditions of affairs incident to a frontier country; the lawlessness and disregard for human life I can attach no criminality to his unwise act… I order them to be released.”
But the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and Morgan Earp’s role in it, was not soon forgotten by allies of the Cochise County Cowboys.
Unknown Assassins Carry Out Revenge On The Earp Brothers
Public DomainA photograph of Wyatt Earp in 1869, taken in Lamar, Missouri.
Following the shootout, the Earp brothers felt strongly that justice had been served. However, it was clear that the Earps were not safe from the wrath of the Cochise County Cowboys. In December 1881, Virgil Earp narrowly survived an assassination attempt. A few months later, Morgan Earp was not so lucky
On March 18, 1882, Morgan was playing billiards at the Campbell & Hatch Billiard Parlor late at night when he was shot by an unknown assailant. Though Morgan Earp did not die right away, he was mortally injured, as a doctor who arrived on the scene soon confirmed.
“He was in a state of collapse resulting from a gunshot, or pistol wound, entering the body just to the left of the spinal column in the region of the left kidney emerging on the right side of the body in the region of the gall bladder. It certainly injured the great vessels of the body causing hemorrhage which, undoubtedly, causes death. It also involved the spinal column. [The bullet] passed through the left kidney and also through the loins,” George Goodfellow, a physician and expert in abdominal gunshot wounds, explained.
An hour after being shot, Morgan Earp breathed his last breath and died at the age of 30 years old. His body was later transferred to Colton, California and he was buried at Hermosa Cemetery.
Find A GraveThe grave of Morgan Earp at Inland Memorial Funeral Care, Inc, Colton, CA.
However, the conflict between the Earps and the Cochise County Cowboys did not end with Morgan Earp’s death. Wyatt Earp would lead a hunt against anyone suspected of participating in his brother’s murder before he was forced to flee from Tombstone to avoid murder charges.
Ultimately, Morgan Earp’s death represented a tragic climax in the violent feud between the Earp family and their rivals in Tombstone. And though his life was cut short, his involvement in the infamous O.K. Corral gunfight and its bloody aftermath came to epitomize the rugged and lawless spirit of the Wild West.
After reading about Morgan Earp, dive into the true story of nine outlaws that wreaked havoc across the American Frontier. Then, view 47 colorized photos that bring the Wild West to life.
