Few names from the American frontier carry as much baggage as Ike Clanton. In the lore of the Wild West, Tombstone stands as an enduring symbol of frontier justice, immortalized by the legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral. Amid the dust and gunsmoke that shrouded those fateful moments, one name echoes with infamy.
Was Ike Clanton truly the loudmouth coward history has painted him to be? Or does the tale of Clanton's alleged cowardice unravel upon closer inspection?
Joseph Isaac "Ike" Clanton was a member of a loose association of outlaws known as the Cowboys, who clashed with law enforcement figures such as Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp, along with Doc Holliday. On October 26, 1881, Ike was present at the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the boom town of Tombstone, Arizona Territory. During the confrontation, Clanton, though present, was unarmed and chose to flee. His 19-year-old brother Billy met a tragic end in the fighting.
Ike Clanton hailed from Callaway County, Missouri, one of seven offspring of Newman Haynes Clanton and Mariah Sexton Clanton. His father engaged in diverse occupations, including day labor, gold mining, and farming, and by the late 1870s, cattle ranching in Arizona Territory. After the loss of his mother in 1866, Ike remained part of the family when they relocated to Tombstone around 1877, preceding the town's establishment and its evolution into a mining hub.
At the time, Newman Clanton lived with his sons Finn, Ike, and Billy. In 1878, Ike managed a small lunch counter at the Tombstone Mill site, now recognized as Millville, along the San Pedro River. By 1881, he had shifted to labor on his father's ranch at Lewis Springs, roughly 12 miles west of Tombstone and five miles from Charleston.
The Clantons and their associates, collectively referred to as the Cowboys, were gaining notoriety for their audacious conduct. Allegations of cattle rustling spanning the U.S.-Mexico border, along with accusations of banditry and murder, were attached to the group. By 1881, Clanton had gained notoriety primarily due to his clashes with Wyatt Earp and Earp's associate Doc Holliday.
The Earps and the Clantons found themselves entangled in a web of political, personal, and legal disputes, and the hostility between them escalated throughout 1881. During the November 1880 election, the Cowboys rallied behind incumbent Sheriff Charles Shibell, while the Earps threw their support behind his opponent, Bob Paul.
Clanton was known for his penchant for public boasting, heavy drinking, and a quick temper. He was infamous for his loquacious nature.
In November 1879, shortly after arriving in Tombstone, Wyatt Earp had a horse stolen. Over a year later, likely in December 1880, information surfaced that the horse was in use near Charleston. Wyatt and Holliday journeyed to Clanton's farm near Charleston to await the legal ownership papers necessary to retrieve the horse.
According to Wyatt's subsequent testimony, 18-year-old Billy Clanton insolently inquired if he had more horses to lose, but relinquished the horse without demanding to see ownership papers. This indicated to Wyatt that Billy Clanton was well aware of the horse's rightful owner. Sheriff Johnny Behan later attested that this incident had provoked Ike Clanton's ire, and it also fueled Earp's resentment.
After being overlooked by Behan for the undersheriff position, Earp contemplated defeating him in the upcoming Cochise County election. Hoping to bolster his chances, Earp set his sights on apprehending the culprits behind the March 15, 1881, Benson stage robbery, which resulted in the deaths of the driver and a passenger. He believed that solving this crime would enhance his prospects of securing the sheriff's office.
Earp boldly declared that on June 2, 1881, he offered Wells Fargo and Earp money and more to Clanton if he would provide information leading to the capture or death of the stage robbers. However, Earp confirmed that this plan completely failed when the three main suspects, Leonard, Head, and Crane, met unrelated fates and were killed during the summer of 1881.
Clanton engaged in a dispute with gambler Denny McCann on the morning of June 9, 1881. They were drinking in a saloon on Allen Street when Clanton insulted McCann. In response, McCann slapped Clanton, prompting Clanton to leave and retrieve his pistol. McCann did the same, and the two confronted each other in front of the Wells Fargo office, already armed. The situation escalated, but Tombstone Marshal Virgil Earp promptly intervened, preventing a gunfight.
The Clanton Ranch flourished as a prosperous venture. Testifying after the O.K. Corral shootout, Clanton asserted that he had raised and acquired around 700 cattle in the preceding year. The Clanton Ranch stood out as one of the most lucrative cattle ranches in the region.
Despite this success, the Clantons failed to officially register a brand in either Cochise County or Pima County, a requisite for legitimate cattle raising. The Clantons gained a notorious reputation as part of a faction of outlaw Cowboys who ventured into Mexico to pilfer cattle, subsequently reselling them to miners in Cochise County. Individuals such as Curly Bill Brocius, Tom, and Frank McLaury engaged in the illicit trade of stolen cattle, with Old Man Clanton among their clients.
The Mexican government's imposition of high tariffs on border-crossing goods created a lucrative environment for smuggling. The outlaw Cowboys in Cochise County operated without a formal organization, with acts of violence, rustling, or robbery typically carried out by independent groups. Newman Haynes Clanton, alias Old Man Clanton and Ike's father, managed a ranch near the Mexican border, serving as a hub for much of the smuggling conducted by the outlaws.
Tragically, on August 12, 1881, Old Man Clanton and six associates, while herding stolen cattle purchased from Curly Bill Brocius, fell victim to an ambush in Guadalupe Canyon near the Mexican border. The assailants, dispatched by Commandant Felipe Neri, orchestrated the Guadalupe Canyon Massacre, resulting in the demise of Old Man Clanton and five others.
In Tombstone, Arizona, Clanton had informed others that Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp, and Morgan Earp had all supposedly disclosed to him their involvement in the Benson stage robbery. On October 25, 1881, while Clanton was in Tombstone drunk and very noisy, an angry Holliday accused him of lying about the Benson stage robbery. Tombstone City Marshal Virgil Earp intervened, warning of potential arrests for both Holliday and Clanton if the argument persisted, and sent Holliday home that night.
Following the confrontation, Wyatt Earp escorted Holliday to his boarding house at Camillus Sidney Fly's lodging house to let him sober up before returning home to rest. Meanwhile, Tombstone Marshal Virgil Earp engaged in a card game with Clanton, Tom McLaury, Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan, and an unidentified fifth participant. The game continued until morning, when Behan and Virgil Earp left for home. Clanton, who had not secured lodging, and McLaury found themselves without a place to stay.
Around 8:00 a.m., barkeeper Bole, recognizing Clanton's state of inebriation, suggested he get some rest. However, Clanton insisted he would not go to sleep. Bole later testified he noticed Clanton was armed and covered his gun for him, recalling that Clanton told him that as soon as the Earps and Doc Holliday showed themselves on the street, the ball would open and they would have to fight. Bole went to Wyatt Earp's house and told him that Ike Clanton had threatened that when he and his brothers and Doc Holliday showed themselves on the street, the ball would open. However, Clanton in his subsequent testimony professed no recollection of meeting Bole or making such statements.
That day, Clanton retrieved his rifle and single-action revolver from the West End Corral, where he had earlier stored his wagon and weapons. Upon entering town by noon, Clanton was once again consuming alcohol and armed, openly expressing his intent to confront either Holliday or an Earp. Around 1:00 p.m. on Fourth Street, Virgil and Morgan Earp caught Clanton off guard, with Virgil delivering a blow with his pistol from behind and disarming him.
The Earps escorted Clanton to face Judge Wallace for violating city ordinance A.M. 9, which prohibited carrying firearms within city limits. Virgil Earp sought out Judge Wallace to expedite the court hearing. In his subsequent testimony, Clanton claimed that Wyatt Earp directed profanity toward him and, along with Virgil and Morgan Earp, offered him the opportunity to retrieve his rifle and engage in a confrontation right there in the courthouse, a proposition Clanton declined.
Clanton vehemently denied ever making threats against the Earps. The court imposed a $25 fine plus court costs, and Clanton, having paid the penalty, departed the courthouse without his weapons. Virgil Earp informed Clanton that his confiscated rifle and revolver would be left at the Grand Hotel, a preferred lodging for cowboys in town. Clanton testified that he reclaimed the weapons from William Soule, the jailer, a couple of days later.
Around 2:00 a.m., following Wyatt's altercation with Tom McLaury, Clanton's 19-year-old brother Billy Clanton and Tom's older brother Frank McLaury arrived in Tombstone, having received information from their neighbor Ed Frank about Clanton's involvement in town disturbances. Overnight they rode into town from Antelope Springs, 13 miles east of Tombstone, aiming to support their brothers. They had been rounding up livestock with their brothers, having breakfasted with Clanton and Tom McLaury the previous day.
Both Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton were armed with a revolver and a rifle, customary for riders in the rural areas surrounding Tombstone. Given recent clashes between Apache warriors and the U.S. Army near Tombstone, the practice of carrying weapons outside the town was well established and accepted.
Billy and Frank initially visited the Grand Hotel on Allen Street, where they encountered Doc Holliday. Almost immediately, they were informed of the recent altercations involving their brothers and the Earps in the preceding two hours, causing a stir in town. Furious, Frank declared he would no longer drink, and the two brothers quickly left the saloon to find Tom. Despite strict city regulations requiring visitors to leave guns at the Grand Hotel, both Frank and Billy were fully armed.
At the same time, a man named Coleman informed Virgil that the Cowboys had left Dunbar and Dexter's stable for the O.K. Corral still armed. Virgil deemed it necessary to disarm them. The three main Tombstone corrals were all located west of Fourth Street, a block or two from where Wyatt saw the Cowboys buying cartridges.
Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan, a cowboy sympathizer, later testified that he became aware of trouble while at the barber shop after 1:00 p.m. Waking up from a late-night card game, Behan asserted that he promptly set out to locate the Cowboys. Around 2:30 p.m., he spotted both Clantons and both McLaurys congregating off Fremont Street in a narrow lot or alley immediately west of 312 Fremont Street. This location housed Fly's 12-room boarding house and photography studio, situated six lots away from the rear entrance to the O.K. Corral.
When Virgil Earp discovered that Wyatt was talking to the Cowboys at Spangenberg's gun shop, he retrieved a 10-gauge or 12-gauge short double-barreled shotgun from the Wells Fargo office around the corner on Allen Street. To prevent causing alarm in Tombstone, Virgil discreetly returned to Hafford's Saloon, concealing the shotgun beneath his long overcoat. He handed the shotgun to Doc Holliday, who concealed it under his own overcoat, exchanging it for Holliday's walking stick.
From Spangenberg's, the Cowboys proceeded to the O.K. Corral, where witnesses overheard them issuing threats to kill the Earps. They then walked a block north to an empty lot adjacent to C.S. Fly's boarding house, where Doc Holliday resided. Informed by several citizens that the McLaurys and Clanton had assembled on Fremont Street while armed, Virgil decided to take immediate action. Despite offers from members of the citizens' vigilance committee to provide support with arms, Virgil declined. Earlier that morning, he had represented Morgan, Wyatt, and also Doc Holliday. Wyatt referred to his brothers Virgil and Morgan as the marshals, while he assumed the role of deputy.
Witnesses later attested that Ike Clanton throughout the day persistently threatened to shoot down the Earps, even after his arrest and disarming. However, when the gunfight erupted, Clanton approached Wyatt claiming to be unarmed and expressing a desire to avoid a confrontation. To this protest, Wyatt said he responded, "Go to fighting or get away." Clanton rushed through the front door of Fly's boarding house and successfully escaped unharmed.
In the days leading up to the gunfight, Clanton sought assistance from fellow Cowboy Billy Claiborne, recognized for his proficiency with a firearm. Claiborne also, unarmed, fled the scene of the gunfight. Unfortunately, Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton lost their lives in the confrontation.
After the confrontation in Tombstone, which resulted in the deaths of the McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton, Ike Clanton pressed murder charges against the Earps and Doc Holliday. They were later arrested and released on bail. During a month-long preliminary hearing presided over by Judge Wells Spicer, Clanton recounted the story of the abuse he endured at the hands of the Earps and Holliday the night before the gunfight.
He vehemently denied issuing threats to the Earps and testified that in response to Virgil's command, the Clantons and Frank McLaury raised their hands, with Tom revealing he was unarmed by opening his vest. According to Clanton, Wyatt pressed the revolver to his stomach, provoking him with bad words. Clanton supported Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan's account, asserting that Holliday and Morgan Earp had initiated the first two shots, with subsequent shots originating from the Earp party.
However, during cross-examination, Clanton presented a disjointed narrative of the events leading up to the gunfight. He contended that the Benson stage robbery was a fabrication orchestrated by the Earps and Holliday to conceal funds diverted for bribery. Additionally, Clanton claimed that Doc Holliday, along with Morgan, Wyatt, and Virgil Earp, individually confessed to him their involvement in the Benson stage holdup or their complicity in covering up the robbery by facilitating the escape of the robbers.
Judge Spicer absolved the lawmen of wrongdoing in his verdict. He highlighted that Clanton, while unarmed the night before, publicly proclaimed that the Earp brothers and Holliday had insulted him and that when armed, he intended to either shoot or engage them in a fight on sight. On the morning of the incident, Virgil Earp had arrested Clanton for carrying a revolver, and during the gunfight, Clanton was found to be unarmed. Spicer emphasized that Clanton had asserted the Earps were conspiring to murder him, yet on both instances that day, the Earps spared his life and permitted him to escape unharmed. Spicer's ruling underscored the crucial fact that Ike Clanton emerged from the confrontation unscathed, emphasizing that he could have been the first and easiest target for harm.
Subsequently, Clanton, along with his brother Finn Clanton and friend Pony Deal, faced accusations of attempting to assassinate Virgil Earp on December 30, 1881. This incident left Virgil with a crippled left arm. Despite Ike Clanton's hat being discovered at the ambush site, several associates vouched for his presence in contention that night, leading to the dismissal of the case due to insufficient evidence.
On March 18, 1882, Morgan Earp met his demise, shot through a door window while playing billiards at Hatch's Saloon in Tombstone. Wyatt, also targeted but unharmed, lost faith in the efficacy of civil justice. Determined to avenge his brother, Wyatt took matters into his own hands, believing that the only recourse against Morgan's killers was their elimination.
Leading a federal posse, Wyatt escorted Virgil Earp to the railroad, sending him to his parents' home in Colton, California. At the Tucson railroad yard, Wyatt shot Frank Stilwell, who was waiting. Days later, Wyatt assembled a larger posse, embarking on a vendetta to deliver justice. Despite not locating Clanton, they succeeded in eliminating three other outlaw Cowboys: Florentino Cruz, Curly Bill Brocius, and Johnny Barnes. In late April 1882, the Earps and Holliday departed the Arizona Territory.
In later life, after the confrontation at the O.K. Corral, the Clantons acquired land near a ranch owned by their sister Mary. Finn arrived in June and Ike followed in August 1882. By 1885, both held a 160-acre ranch situated 10 miles east of Springerville near the New Mexico border. The Clanton gang, expanding by 1885, now included members such as Lee Renfro, Kid Swingle, Longhair Spra, Billy Evans, and Clanton's brother-in-law Eben Stanley. They shifted their operations to a ranch named the Sierra Amarilla, located near Springerville, Arizona.
On November 6, 1885, local rancher Isaac Ellinger and Pratt Plumber shared a meal with the Clanton brothers and Lee Renfro. Following the dinner, Ike, Renfro, and Ellinger entered a cabin on the Clanton ranch, when for unknown reasons Renfro shot and killed Ellinger. William Ellinger, Isaac's brother and a prominent rancher with farms in many states and territories, discovered that his brother had survived four days, enough time to consider the shooting a brutal incident. Both William and Isaac were members of the Apache County Stock Association, with William holding significant political influence.
The Clantons had long been under suspicion for cattle rustling, allegedly transporting stolen livestock from the Springerville region to Clifton and Southern Arizona, utilizing the Blue River route down to Eagle Creek. In April 1887, the Apache County Stock Association convened and engaged a Pinkerton detective to pursue the outlaw gang. Additionally, they enlisted Jonas "Jake" V. Brighton as a secret service officer, leveraging his role as a constable in Springerville and a range detective.
In April 1887, Finn Clanton faced arrest for rustling and was confined in St. Johns. Throughout May and June of that year, multiple grand jury indictments were issued against the Clantons and their associates, encompassing charges of cattle rustling and the murder of Isaac Ellinger. Jonas "Jake" V. Brighton diligently pursued Finn Clanton.
After three days of tracking, Brighton spent the night of May 31, 1887, at Jim "Peg Leg" Wilson's ranch on Eagle Creek, south of Springerville. The next morning, Clanton rode in, and Brighton recognized him. In an attempt to escape, Clanton turned his horse and drew his rifle from the scabbard. Brighton acted decisively, firing his rifle first and striking Clanton on the left side, the bullet exiting on the right. Clanton succumbed to his injuries before hitting the ground.
One source said his body was left for several days until discovered by nearby Mormon ranchers. They buried him in an unmarked grave in the Mormon Cemetery southeast of St. Johns, Arizona, today known as the 26 Bar Ranch. Some contemporary writers speculate on whether Brighton employed the pretext of resisting arrest as justification for assassinating Clanton.
In late June 1996, Terry "Ike" Clanton, a descendant of the Clanton family, collaborated with James A. Browning, a former Citadel professor and grave expert, to explore the area near Eagle Creek in present-day Greenlee County, Arizona, where Ike was reportedly buried. Their search led to the swift identification of a shallow grave beneath a large tree, believed to contain Ike Clanton's remains. Despite Terry's efforts to engage Tombstone city officials, there has been no success in persuading them to exhume the remains and reinter them in Tombstone's renowned Boot Hill graveyard.
Ike's notorious journey in the Western frontier involved intimidating landowners, trafficking stolen cattle, manipulating election results, potential plots of assassination, assisting known criminals, and evading a historic gunfight that he played a role in initiating. It is evident why historical accounts portray Ike's character unfavorably. Notably, he abandoned his younger brother to face a solitary demise in a gunfight.
If combat was his chosen path, it is ironic that over a century later, a skirmish, no matter how minor or one-sided, continues to persist in determining Ike Clanton's rightful standing in the history of the American West.