Wyatt Earp’s Wild Times in Nome

Wyatt and Josie Earp tried their hand at Alaska in 1899, following the gold rush to Nome where they opened (with Charlie Hoxie) the Dexter Saloon.  The place was a goldmine, making money off of drinks, gambling, prize fighting and (at least for awhile) an upstairs that featured soiled doves.

But the boom played out in 1901, and the Earps sold out their share of the Dexter for $80,000 (about $2-million in today’s money).  Wyatt and Josie were rich.  For a time. They blew the windfall on gambling, bad investments and even worse loans to family and friends.