Shots Heard 'Round the West

Many men and women of the old west died violent deaths for one reason or another. However, some were and continue to be more historically significant than others. Following is the story of five of the more significant deaths of the 1800s in the old west. Davy Crockett was a folk hero from Tennessee who made his mark on history in Tennessee, Washington DC and ultimately Texas. His reputation was elevated exponentially by Hollywood films and probably even more significantly by Disney television due to their popular 1950s tv show Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier. Fess Parker became a star and Crockett's legacy became historically important due in no small part to that tv show. Add in John Wayne and Billy Bob Thornton playing Davy in Hollywood films and you have a recipe for a larger than life figure of his era. The culmination of the story took place in March 1836 when Davy died at the Alamo. He went to Texas probably for the land that was available to homesteaders and settlers but was drawn into the Texas revolution at the Alamo. Crockett like all the approximately 200 defenders of the Alamo perished at the hands of Santa Ana and his 5,000 Mexican troops. Other famous defenders would include Jim Bowie and William Travis but none more famous than Davy Crockett. There were many famous old west lawmen but none with a more elevated reputation than Wild Bill Hickok. Some will argue that Hickok's reputation was more created than earned but none can dispute his larger than life persona. His downfall began while he was in a gunfight with Phil Cole while town marshal of Abilene Kansas. During that confrontation he accidentally killed his own deputy Mike Williams. That mistake cost him his job and sent his life into a tailspin. He tried his hand in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show but he didn't like it and was a troublemaker in the cast. He drifted to Deadwood South Dakota where he became a compulsive drunk and gambler. On August 1st 1876 Jack McCall joined a poker game with Hickok at Nuttall and Mann's Saloon in Deadwood. He promptly lost all his money and Wild Bill gave him breakfast money and told him not to join another game until he could afford to. The next day McCall who felt humiliated by Hickok shot him in the back of the head and yelled damn you take that. When asked why he hadn't faced Hickok like a man he said I didn't want to commit suicide. McCall was convicted for the murder and hung on March 1st 1877. William Bonney also known as Billy the Kid may not have been the most prolific killer of the old west but may be the most mysterious. Bonney was small in stature which made him vulnerable to criticism and insults and thus a case of the little man syndrome. Not unlike the character in the famous Johnny Cash song A Boy Named Sue he became proficient and always willing to use his colt to resolve disputes. When a local ranch owner and Bonney's boss was murdered by one of the two factions in the Lincoln County War in the New Mexico Territory the kid got drawn into the conflict. Bonney and his compadres ambushed and killed Sheriff William Brady who was responsible for the death of his boss. That murder put Sheriff Pat Garrett on his trail. Garrett was a relentless lawman who had his eye on a $500 bounty on Billy the Kid. He finally tracked Billy down at the house of one of his friends and in a late night ambush inside the house on July 14th 1881 ended the life of the famous outlaw. The kid had killed eight men prior to his death at age 21 and his mysterious life has fascinated generations of historians and moviegoers. The infamous confrontation in Tombstone, Arizona between the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday on one side and a band of cattle rustlers called Cowboys on the other side is considered by most historians to be the most famous gunfight in old west history. The Earp brothers along with Doc Holliday went to Tombstone to seek out their fortune. The loosely knit outlaw gang calling themselves the Cowboys had been committing crimes in the area prior to the arrival of the Earps. A simmering feud between the two factions started soon after the Earps came to town. Probably exasperated by the fact that the Cowboys had fought for the Confederates and the Earps for the Union forces. Virgil Earp was the town marshal and when the fight became inevitable he deputized Holliday and his two brothers Wyatt and Morgan. The combatants on the other side included two sets of brothers the Clantons and the McClowys along with Billy Claiborne. The shootout took place on Fremont Street not far from the OK Corral. The shooting was fast and fierce lasting only about 30 seconds. When the smoke cleared both McClowry brothers and Billy Clanton were dead. Ike and Billy Claiborne escaped. Virgil and Morgan Earp were wounded. Holliday barely grazed and the most famous of all Wyatt Earp unhurt. Thus the most mythologized event in old west history was completed. Frank James and his brother Jesse the more impetuous and famous of the two brothers pulled a string of murderous bank robberies. Jesse's odd portrayal as a fighter for southern values in post-civil war America made him somewhat of a folk hero. In 1876 the gang attempted an ill-fated raid on a bank in Northfield Minnesota. After that failed robbery the James brothers had to hide out as the law was closing in. Jesse moved into his old house in St. Joseph Missouri using an alias. Two former gang members Charlie and Robert Ford moved in with him for added protection. In early 1882 Missouri governor Thomas Crittenden placed a ten thousand dollar bounty on Jesse. While still in Jesse's house with him Robert Ford made his move. While Jesse was on a stool straightening a picture Robert drew his revolver and killed him with a single shot behind his ear. The fact that Ford was condemned by the public for a cowardly act against a popular figure speaks volumes about the old west's reputation as a place where audacity no matter how a reputation was achieved was admired. If you enjoyed this video give a thumbs up make a comment and most importantly subscribe to the channel. As always thanks for watching