So great is the shadow cast by Tombstone’s legendary 1881 shootout at the OK Corral, it is not widely known that Virgil Earp’s law-enforcement career began in Prescott. Its launching point was a prominent saloon along Whiskey Row.
In 1877, the Jackson & Tompkins’ Saloon at 134 South Montezuma Street near the center of Whiskey Row was one of the top four saloons in Prescott.

True West October 2020
In This Issue:
Features
Western Books & Movies
To The Point
More In This Issue
Departments
- Ouray, Colorado
- Western Roundup: October 2020
- The Legendary Colt, the Earp Clan and Matt Dillon’s Lasso
- What History Has Taught Me: Dennis Gallagher
- The Bounty of the Hunt
- Following the Tracks of the Kansas Pacific
- Punch in a Pocket—1848 Baby Dragoon Revolver
- Western Masters Remain Strong
- Studying History is One Thing; Walking History is Another