Born: March 19, 1848
Died: January 13, 1929

Although he’s one of the most famous lawmen of the American West—best remembered for his role in the shootout at the O.K. Corral—Wyatt Earp spent only six of his eighty years working as a peacemaker. To this day, Earp has been branded as both a hero and a killer.

Early years

Born in Monmouth, Illinois, Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was one of five brothers. Wyatt had two older brothers—James C. (1841–1926) and Virgil W. (1843–1906)—and two younger siblings—Morgan (1851–1882) and Warren B. (1855–1900). The Earp boys spent most of their youth in Illinois and Iowa. As the end of the Civil War approached, the boys moved West with their parents to San Bernardino, California.

When Wyatt was twenty, he and his brother Virgil worked on a Union Pacific Railroad...