North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys

Sat, Jul 26, 2025 11:00AM EDT
  2025-07-26 11:00:00 2025-07-26 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/tombstone-western-heritage-museum-auction-the-earp-brothers-cowboys-20021
Join North American Auction Company on July 26th for a once-in-a-lifetime auction of the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Collection. This extraordinary sale features the largest private collection of Tombstone history, including rare and historic pieces tied to Wyatt Earp, the Earp Brothers, and the infamous Cochise Cowboys. From original artifacts, outlaw relics, and the largest collection of C.S. Fly photographs, this is a can’t-miss event for collectors of the Old West’s most legendary chapter.
North American Auction Company tucker@naabid.com
Lot 227

Ca. 1878 ORIGINAL O.K. Corral Pre-Shootout Photo

Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000
Starting Bid
$200

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
Featured in this lot is this historically rare pre-shootout photograph of O.K. Corral Tombstone, Arizona Territory circa 1878 and was displayed in the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum; Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona and the John Gilchrease collection. The photograph shows a scene of three men standing under the entry with five men on horseback with the O.K Corral and its sign shown behind them. In 1878, the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, was not yet the infamous site of the legendary 1881 gunfight, but it was already a hub of activity in the growing silver boomtown. Founded by John Montgomery, the O.K. Corral operated as a commercial livery and boarding stable, catering to the constant flow of miners, cowboys, and travelers flooding into Cochise County. Though tensions between lawmen and outlaw elements like the Cowboys were beginning to simmer, the town was still in its early, unruly stages—marked by rapid expansion, loose law enforcement, and rising political rivalries that would eventually erupt into the famous shootout just three years later. The photograph is originally from the John Gilchrease collection, a museum curator, author and historian of Tombstone. This is a museum edition from him, titled, "The Original OK Corral 1878 / At Old Tombstone (the original townsite on the hill). Older to Vintage Museum edition made from the original in John Gilchrease's collection. The condition of this O.K. Corral photograph is well preserved with only slight wear to the frame around the photograph and to the photograph but otherwise shows a well preserved overall condition. The measurements of this mounted photograph is 12 1/8" x 18 1/4" and the visible photograph measures 6 3/8" x 13 1/4".

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