The most violent and deadly years of the old west 1880-1882

The time period of the Wild West is generally accepted to be roughly from the end of the Civil War until around 1900. The era has been glamorized non-stop since its beginning until present times by historians, writers, and Hollywood. I feel confident that the fascination with the people and events of that era will continue for as long as time exists. There is no doubt that the historical record is littered with fact, fiction, and everything in between. I think that the understanding that fact and fiction both exist in that historical record helps create and perpetuate the interest and even obsession with the Old West. It is an undeniable fact that there were many characters of questionable moral fiber that roamed the West during those times which ultimately led to deadly conflicts. The deadliest of these times were the years 1880 to 1882. The height of violence in the Wild West seemed to reach a peak during that period. The shootings of Billy the Kid and Jesse James and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral all occurred during the period as well as the vendettas spawned by the O.K. Corral incident. Also there were many lesser known violent encounters that can be traced to that short time of history. One such instance occurred on March 2nd, 1880. A salesman named James Moorhead was staying at a Las Vegas, Colorado hotel. His waiter at the hotel restaurant, James Allen, didn't like the way Moorhead ordered his eggs, apparently in a sarcastic way, and shot him dead. Earlier in the same year, in that same town, Marshal Joe Earson was killed by four rowdy cowboys. On January 22nd, 1880, Assistant Marshal Dave Mather avenged the death of his former boss by killing one of the cowboys, gravely injuring another, and wounding the other two. 1880 closed out with two of famous Sheriff Pat Garrett's men dispatching Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Boudre, two known associates of Billy the Kid. On April 14th, 1881, the famously named Four Dead in Five Seconds shootout occurred in El Paso, Texas. An extremely contentious situation existed because of a court case involving murdered Mexican vaqueros and Texas cattle rustlers. El Paso's shoot first and ask questions later Marshal Dallas Stoudemire heard a gunshot and went to investigate. A constable in the court case had been shot. Stoudemire first shot an innocent bystander and then a friend of the man who had shot the constable. The wounded constable then fatally shot the man who had shot him and shortly thereafter died of his own wound. Four men were dead. Did all this happen in five seconds? Not likely, but it made for a catchy name for a shootout. In the wake of the O.K. Corral shootout, Virgil Earp was maimed in an attack on December 28th, 1881, and Brother Morgan was killed the following March. Wyatt Earp exacted his revenge when he tracked down and killed Curly Bill Brocious, a prime suspect in the death of Brother Morgan. There are many deaths and murders that are historically documented in the Old West, but a short two-year time frame in the early 1880s is generally accepted as the most deadly period of the Old West era. If you enjoyed this video, give a thumbs up, make a comment, and most of all subscribe. I need subscribers to be able to monetize this channel. As always, thanks for watching!