Classic Gunfights Archives

Doc Gets Hammered

by Bob Boze Bell | Nov 14, 2018

October 10, 1880 Two well-known sports, John Tyler and John Henry “Doc” Holliday, exchange harsh words while gambling in the Oriental Saloon. His...

Ike Bites the Dust

by Bob Boze Bell | Sep 20, 2018

June 1, 1887 Apache County Stock Association detective J.V. Brighton, formerly known as “Rawhide Jack” during his rustling days, and two lawmen have...

Shoot-Out in El Paso

by Bob Boze Bell | Jul 11, 2018

April 14, 1881 Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, ex-Marshal George Campbell is flat-out looking for trouble. “Any American that is a friend of...

A Cold Ride into Hell

by Bob Boze Bell | Jun 14, 2018

February 10, 1918 In the bitter cold, a four-man posse riding in from Klondyke, Arizona, surrounds a lone cabin in Kielberg Canyon. The posse—a...

A Watch to Die For

by Bob Boze Bell | May 30, 2018

Dave Tutt walked onto the town square in Springfield, Missouri, at 6 p.m. on a Friday. He was about to face off with a known adversary, “Wild Bill”...

Clash of the Mad Madams

by Bob Boze Bell | Apr 13, 2018

April 18, 1886 The beautiful Bessie Colvin is fed up. After a year of arguing over “extracurricular activities” and bad accounting, the star...

The Spark that Launched the Vendetta Ride

by Bob Boze Bell | Mar 13, 2018

March 18, 1882 A one-night showing of the play Stolen Kisses is being staged at the Turnverein Hall, north of Schieffelin Hall. It has been...

The Oatman Massacre

by Bob Boze Bell | Feb 15, 2018

Roys Oatman and his family have just finished hauling their belongings up a rocky grade to a bluff on the south side of the Gila River. At the end...

The Mysterious Death of John Ringo

by Bob Boze Bell | Jan 12, 2018

July 2, 1882 John Ringo has decided to move to Tombstone, Arizona Territory (he has been living in San Simon and Galeyville). He arrives in town and...