October 20, 1881, Cowboy Tom McLaury comes to Tombstone from his ranch. He and his brother likely have sold their cattle herd; Tom deposits nearly $5,000 (today– $127,000) in the Pima County Bank, but he doesn’t set up an account. That indicates that he plans to remove the cash in the near future. There’s some belief that the McLaurys were about to leave the area—for good—when they traveled to their sister’s wedding in Iowa at the end of November. Those plans are killed (literally) six days later at the Gunfight at the OK Corral.
True West September/October 2024