Who is Virgil Earp?

Of course the short answer here is that he was Wyatt Earp’s brother, or for a base level of added detail, he was Wyatt Earp’s older brother. But who was he beyond that? Given the attention that Wyatt Earp has received over the years, you would almost think that Virgil showed up just in time to help his brother Wyatt fight the cowboys and then disappear again.

But Virgil was more than just an also-ran brother to the most famous gunslinger, he was an established lawman of his own reputation before the O.K. Corral gunfight ever happened. In fact, at the time of the gunfight, Virgil was they key lawman of the group, serving as city marshal of Tombstone following the sudden departure of the then-current marshal Ben Sippy (who made his way back to Brooklyn and stayed there).

Sometimes Wyatt will be accused of co-opting life stories from Virgil in order to embellish his own saga, but Wyatt didn’t need to do that. However, it does go to show just how intriguing of a western character Virgil was to suspect that Wyatt’s adventures weren’t his own, but belonged to his brother.

Without attempting to go into a full biography of the man, it should be known that Virgil joined the Civil War, fighting for the north, and gained some much valued skills with guns and sharp-shooting, as would be evidenced later in life. After the war he joined with his family in California, did some stage driving  there as well as in Wyoming, and then in Nebraska where he met his second wife.

While Wyatt was in Dodge earning his own reputation, Virgil was in Prescott, driving various stages and cutting wood. He eventually landed a position as a night watchman, patrolling the wild Whiskey Row, and engaged in a running gunfight in which his sure-shooting skills won him some renown in the town.

Doc rode into Prescott with Wyatt in early November, but stayed in town as Virgil and Allie left for Tombstone with Wyatt and Mattie. Before leaving, however, Virgil was given a Deputy Marshal position to be used in scaling back the cowboy’s outlaw activity along the Arizona-Mexico border. Again we can see the significance that Virgil held as compared to Wyatt who traveled to the new destination simply to mine and run a stage line; in short, to be an entrepreneur.

While in Tombstone Virgil continued to prove himself as more than just a sidekick brother. He led the team in the takedown of the outlaw cowboys at the O.K. Corral gunfight, and was savvy and quick acting when, after the first big Tombstone fire, he stopped lot-jumpers from pirating other businesses claims; proving a valuable asset to the town and it’s business community. On top of these policing duties in Tombstone, some historians theorize that Virgil and Wyatt were on the border, under the authority of the Deputy Marshals badge, participating in the takedown of Old Man Clanton and the cowboy rustlers.

After Tombstone Virgil continued to serve in various degrees of law enforcement, though he was considerably stymied by the left arm torn apart by ambushing back-shooters in Arizona. He met a long lost daughter in the Portland area at the turn of the century, showing the kind of man he was to go and spend time with her and investing so much to get to know her in these later days. It should also be noted what kind of a loving and supportive wife Allie was, as well, to send Virgil along and encourage his relationship building efforts. The couple never had kids of their own, and Virgil was always thrilled to know he had a daughter, and made the most of his time with her.

In fact, after a short time in Goldfield, Nevada, where Virgil was acting as a local law enforcement officer again, he caught pneumonia and died on October 19th, 1905. After his death his body was shipped up to Oregon and he was buried in the cemetery next to where his daughter lived. She was eventually buried next to him.

Virgil was a classic character of the west, having both dark elements of his past, as well as notable turns taking a stand for what was right. He loved his wife and they stayed together from the time they met in the early 1870’s. He loved his daughter and sent her pictures and letters, making every effort to get to know her as best he could. And finally, he was a good brother. He and Wyatt worked together as practically kids in the 60’s, then planned their move to Tombstone together in the 70’s, and were even together briefly in Nevada when Virgil finally died in the early 1900’s.

Though his adventures may not have been as robust as Wyatt’s, Virgil deserves, in every way, to be remembered when considering the men who formed the west.