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July 12, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels June 21, 2004 Food & History Wyatt Earp, gunfighter and chef Jeff Cheek Wyatt Earp lived the kind of life teenage boys can only dream about. He is defined by the years he spent as a lawman from 1873-82, but the rest of his life is equally fascinating. He was also a stagecoach driver, buffalo hunter, gambler, saloon keeper, real estate agent and prospector. Strangest of all, he was also a gourmet chef for wild game. He was born in Illinois March 19, 1848. His father was a cavalry trooper in the Mexican-American War. Wyatt was named after his commanding officer. The family moved to Iowa in 1850. During the Civil War his brothers James and Virgil left to join the Union Army. Wyatt ran away from home to volunteer. His father caught the would-be teenage recruit and dragged him home. This may have been the reason his dad bought a ranch near San Bernadino and moved his family to California in 1864. Wyatt worked as a stagecoach driver for a few years then went back east to marry his sweetheart, Urilla Sutherland, in Lamar, Mo. on January 10, 1870. Less than a year later, "Rilla" died of typhoid fever. It was such a painful experience that Earp did not marry his long time girlfriend, Josephine Marcus, until 1896. Meanwhile, he worked as a professional hunter, supplying meat for Union Pacific railroad crews in Wyoming. In 1873 he drifted into Kansas, where boomtowns were sprouting like mushrooms, shipping Texas longhorns back to eastern markets. In the next six years, Wyatt Earp won an enduring reputation as a tough, fearless lawman, bringing law and order to wild cow towns like Wichita, Ellsworth, and Dodge City, Kan. In 1879 he moved to another wide open boomtown, Tombstone, Ariz. He was both a peace officer and gambler. Tombstone is the site of the famous Earp-Clanton Gunfight at OK Corral. In 1882 he and his girlfriend "Josie" left Tombstone for San Diego, where he dabbled in real estate. They were married in 1896. The Earps joined the Gold Rush to Alaska in 1898. Wyatt found no gold but he got rich as a saloon keeper. They returned home in 1905. Earp invested most of his Alaska bonanza in more real estate. They could have retired on their investments but that life was too tame for the restless spirit of Wyatt Earp. He built a cabin in Vidal, Calif., and spent the rest of his life prospecting in the Mojave Desert. The long hot summers were spent in their comfortable home in Los Angeles. Earp was still active until the end of his life. He died Jan. 13, 1929 at the age of 80. His body was cremated and the ashes buried in the Marcus family tomb in Colma, Calif. His loyal, supportive "Josie" joined him in 1944. A newspaper reporter, hoping to get a headline, once asked him what was the best shot he had ever made. Instead of recalling one of his famous gunfights, Earp replied, "There is a pond just north of Tombstone, where flocks of doves fly in to drink in the evening. I once got nine doves with just one shot." Unfortunately, I have never tried Wyatt Earp's recipe for cooking these birds. Ingredients 10 doves, cleaned and split 4 tablespoons butter or beef suet 1 medium cabbage, cut into eighths 6 carrots 1 cup cooked Lima beans 1 large onion, diced 1 teaspoon sage Preparation Brown doves in butter or beef suet, transfer to cooking pot. Add vegetables and spice, salt and pepper to taste. Cover with water and simmer 60-75 minutes. Remove dove pieces, flank with vegetables and serve. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams