Tuesday, July 08, 2014

The "Gummo" of the Earp Brothers

People seem to think that the "wild and woolly West" didn't apply to Orange County. They're shocked to learn we had cowboys, Indians, shoot-outs in saloons, posses chasing horse thieves, and any other Old West cliche you care to mention. Admittedly, we weren't home to many of the big names from the history books, but we weren't exactly out of the picture either.

For instance, there's no record of famous lawman Wyatt Earp visiting Orange County, but some of his famous family definitely spent time here. Wyatt’s father, Nicholas, youngest brother, Warren, and other family members lived near Lake Elsinore and would sometimes find their way to the other side of the mountains. Warren did farm work for H.S. Pankey, in the Gospel Swamp area, south of Santa Ana. Warren wasn't with his brothers at the famous O.K. Corral shoot-out in 1881, but he helped Wyatt hunt down the man who killed their brother, Morgan. Warren was shot dead in 1900 during an argument with a cowboy at a saloon in Wilcox, Arizona.

It may be a thin thread connecting O.C. to the O.K. Corral,... But it's interesting that a thread exists at all.
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:32 PM

    Very cool Chris
    Especially since I've lived in Lake Elsinore in the past. Wonder how far I was from their place. :)

    Jim from TX

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:15 PM

    I have a Santa Ana newspaper from 1882 with a small article reporting the shooting of Virgil Earp in Tombstone. Interesting to see in a Santa Ana paper.

    ReplyDelete

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