20 Ridiculous Stories From The Wild Wild West That Actually Happened

Was Doc Holliday really a dentist? Did a Shawnee chief called Blackfish adopt Daniel Boone as his son? Was Wyatt Earp actually a horse thief and a pimp? For accurate answers to these outlandish questions and many others, read on. Turns out that there are many Wild West tales far stranger than any plausible fiction...

20. Geronimo: super-smart in battle

There is more than one photo of Geronimo wielding a rifle. Indeed, one particular image featured on a 29-cent U.S. postage stamp issued in 1994. But the powerful medicine man wasn’t always handy with a long gun – before he came to lead his people he was inexperienced with firearms. Rather, his main weapon of attack was the knife, but he had a particular and deadly way of using it. 

Clever tactic

In one clash with some Mexican soldiers, Geronimo used his clever tactic to great effect. He ran at the enemy, dodging from side to side to avoid their fire. Once he came upon a rifleman he finished him off with his knife, grabbed his victim’s gun and sped back to his comrades. He then gave his prize to one of his compatriots who knew how to use the weapon. A formidably smart fighter indeed.

19. Shootout at the O.K. Corral

Perhaps the single most-storied event of the entire Wild West era, the Shootout at the O.K. Corral was not quite all that Hollywood would have us believe. In the classic 1957 movie Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, the actual shooting went on for five minutes – so we have the idea of a prolonged gun battle. But that is simply not what happened.

Half a minute of violence

The gunfight was vicious enough, but the whole thing was over in just 30 seconds. In that time some 30 shots had been fired. In the aftermath three men lay dead, all opponents of Wyatt Earp and his brothers, and his ally Doc Holliday. It was an undoubtedly deadly affair, but it was more of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it confrontation than a protracted gunfight.