The True Story Behind Netflix's 'Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War'

What exactly is known about the Wild West? Western films, TV, video games, and, of course, history describe it as one of the most colorful eras in American history. This era was well known for its lack of centralized government, meaning that the Wild West was indeed lawless and rough. Most of America's folklore and culture come from this Western era. However, only a small bit of it is shown in today's media. Netflix's Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War takes its viewers to a side of the Wild West that hasn't been seen in a long time. The fight that Wyatt Earp was part of did embody and alter the Old West, after all. With the western genre increasing in popularity once again, this series is at its peak. Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War isn't a piece of fiction, either. This is the gunfight told in a whole new light.

How Is Netflix Telling Wyatt Earp's Story?

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Technically, this is a Netflix documentary series. But it's not in the proper documentary form. Narrated by Ed Harris, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War tells the story of the legendary feud between Wyatt Earp (Tim Fellingham) and Ike Clanton (Jack Gordon) in the form of vivid reenactments. But there's more to it than just documenting a fight. This show gives viewers more direct insight into what the West was like in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Other Western films and television provide more focus on the characters and drama. Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War takes its audience directly to the Wild West, which is wild indeed. There's more violence, crime, feuds, and bloodshed than fictional Western cinema can show.

Who Was Wyatt Earp Exactly?

Wyatt Earp lived an interesting life with many titles secured under his belt. He was born in 1848 in Monmouth, Illinois and was the fourth of eight children between Nicholas Earp and his second wife, Virginia Ann Cooksey. His three older brothers joined the Civil War on the Union side between 1861 and 1862. A young Wyatt tried to sneak away and join the fight, but his father brought him back every time. His family moved between Illinois, Iowa, and California throughout the years before settling down in Lamar, Missouri. Wyatt and his brother Virgil (Ariel Elliaz) worked on the Union Pacific Railroad during that time. Wyatt returned to his family a year later and married in 1870. His father was the constable of the township before he resigned and gave the title to Wyatt. A year later, Wyatt's wife supposedly died of either typhus or childbirth complications.

Wyatt went down a rather dark path after that. He had taken up gambling, run-ins with the law, embezzlement allegations, and he was even framed for stealing a horse in Arkansas. He was never tried for his crimes, potentially for either fleeing the law or jumping bail. In 1874, Wyatt helped a police officer catch a thief in Wichita, Kansas. This act of heroics earned him public favor, and he became a police officer in Wichita and then an officer in Dodge City. He did some mining for a few years during the gold rush in the Black Hills before returning to Dodge City as assistant marshal in 1879-79. He befriended gunmen like Doc Holliday (Edward Franklin) during his time as a gambler and a lawman. Wyatt eventually moved down to the Wild West town of Tombstone, Arizona Territory. After a certain event that took place between 1881 and 1882, Wyatt settled in California doing various real-estate sales, gambling, police work, and mining. He died at the age of 80 in 1929.

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What Was the Cowboy War About?

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The "cowboy war" that Netflix is adapting is actually a famous gunfight that happened in O.K. Corral back in October 1881. Back in the day, many cowboy criminals were loosely organized and connected to certain family names. One of these western gangs was led by Ike Clanton. The famous feud between Wyatt and Ike began when Wyatt offered a $6,000 reward for Ike's help in catching the Cowboys, who were local outlaws in Tombstone. Ike agreed at first but became increasingly paranoid that Wyatt would sell him out to his own gang. The tension between the Earp and Clanton clans escalated to the point of the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. On the Earp side was Wyatt, his brothers Virgil and Morgan (Shane Penhale), and Doc Holliday against Ike and his gang. Supposedly, this cowboy war lasted for about 30 seconds, leaving only Wyatt completely unharmed.

Virgil, Morgan, and Doc were wounded but alive. Three outlaws in Ike's clan were shot dead while Ike himself ran away. This wasn't the end of the Cowboy War, however. Ike filed murder charges against the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. Wyatt and Doc were imprisoned for sixteen days. Sometime after that, Virgil was ambushed and wounded by Ike and his clan in December 1881. Then, in March 1882, Wyatt and Morgan were attacked by unknown assassins in a saloon. Morgan didn't make it out of that fight alive. What started as a war became a quest for vengeance. Wyatt, his brother Warren, and their friend scoured the area to find Morgan's killer. They killed at least two possible suspects, maybe even more, before Wyatt fled Tombstone due to his accusations of murder. It was around then that the Cowboy War ended.

The O.K. Corral gunfight was a crucial moment in Wyatt Earp's life that still makes him famous today. Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War does a fantastic job of bringing the fight to light in this dramatic reenactment. This miniseries also has interviews with people familiar with Wyatt Earl, his life, the 1881 gunfight, and how the Wild West truly was.

You can watch Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War on Netflix.

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