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Colton tutors often discuss the story of the infamous Wyatt Earp. In the movies it is depicted that he was from the Midwest. The true story is that he actually spent many of his formative years in Colton.

Wyatt Earp is famous for being a gambler, a Deputy Sheriff in Pima County and arguably best known as deputy town marshal in Tombstone, Arizona. He was part of the most famous shootout in the history of the American Wild West, a 30 second shoot-out at the O.K. Corral. In this well documented gunfight, town marshal Virgil Earp, Special Policeman Morgan Earp, Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp were pitted against Cowboys Billy Clairborne, Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank Mc Laury. Both McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton were killed at the scene, and Ike Clanton with Bily Clairborne ran away from the fight. Wyatt Earp was unharmed while others on his side suffered from gun shot wounds.

Wyatt Earp came to Colton in 1864. His family Nicholas Earp (father), Virginia Earp (mother), James Earp (brother), Virgil Earp (brother), and Martha Earp (sister) moved from Monmouth Illinois when “Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp” was barely sixteen years old. Colton tutors know that Wyatt was already trained in his early teens by his father and brothers in how to use a shotgun and rifle to defend his family against attacking Indians before they even reached Colton.

According to Colton tutors, it was in the 1870s that Wyatt Earp accompanied his brothers to Texas and their reputations grew as deadly marksmen, and their destiny of the shoot-out at the O.K. Corral came to fruition and legends were born. On the day after the famous shoot-out the remaining members of the cowardly cowboy gang struck again, though time while Morgan Earp was playing pool. Morgan Earp was killed instantly from a shot in the back. His body was shipped to the family home back in Colton. James traveled with Virgil and the Earp women to Colton for Morgan’s burial.

Wyatt and Doc Holiday sought vengeance for the murder of their brother and friend. They successfully eliminated many of their enemies, and eventually they moved from Arizona to Colorado. Wyatt Earp returned with his family to Colton in later years. Wyatt and his wife Josie spent time with the Earps in San Bernadino where Virgil was Sheriff, at his family home in Colton and at Josie’s family home in San Francisco. Virgil was elected city marshal of Colton and remained in that role for some time before he left as many did lured by the promise of great wealth in the gold rush at the turn of the twentieth century.