Did Wyatt Earp ever drive or own a car?

Did Wyatt Earp ever drive or own a car?

Jeff King
Washington, D.C.

True West has a photo of Wyatt Earp standing next to a car, what appears to be a Packard, but it belonged to somebody else. Earp expert Casey Tefertiller says, “I have found no record of Earp ever driving. The folks who knew (elderly by the time I asked) only recalled him riding as a passenger. When he lived in L.A. in later years, the recollections I have found talk of him taking streetcars. Earp lived at a time when many folks were learning to drive, but he was also quite poor by the time cars became more publicly available. So I guess the answer is, I don’t think so, but I am far from certain.”

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Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian. His latest book is Wyatt Earp: Showdown at Tombstone.  If you have a question, write:
Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or e-mail him at  marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu