Tombstone history buffs take issue with Netflix's "Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War"
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A decorative sign over the entrance to the site of recreated gunfights in historic Tombstone. Photo: Robert Alexander/Getty Images
Arizona's most storied sharpshooter has again made his way to the silver screen with a new Netflix docuseries called "Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War," chronicling the lead-up to and fallout from the infamous Tombstone gunfight.
Why it matters: The gunfight was part of one of the most iconic chapters of Arizona's territorial history and has given rise to countless movies, TV shows and documentaries — often with enough hyperbole and romanticism to irk Wild West history buffs.
The big picture: "Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War," released last month, features reenactments of Earp's life in Tombstone with expert interviews spliced throughout.
- The interviews add context about how the Civil War, the banking industry and a salacious press corps fueled tensions between the lawmen and outlaws in territorial Arizona.
- "Forget everything you know about Wild West history," narrator Ed Harris says in the show's trailer.
Yes, but: Not everyone was impressed.
- Janice Hendricks, co-publisher of the monthly history journal "Tombstone Times," told the Eastern Arizona Courier she only watched 20 minutes of the first episode.
- "It was disappointing," she said. "There were numerous and blatant inaccuracies."
Zoom in: Perhaps the most obvious historical faux pas was the depiction of the famous gunfight between the Earp clan and the cowboys at the O.K. Corral.
- Although the horse corral has become something of lore and legend, historians believe the shootout actually took place on Fremont Street.
Between the lines: "I have not seen it, but friends and people have told me it's entertaining. And as long as it motivates people to come to Tombstone, to come visit the real town, I support it," city historian Don Taylor tells Axios.
My thought bubble: I watched the series before I knew about some of the factual oversights. I enjoyed it and learned a lot about the national and international forces that influenced the Arizona Territory.
- That said, I always take Hollywood depictions of my home state with a grain of salt — especially when they claim to know the real story of an event that historians still find new information about today.
The bottom line: "It's best not to claim anything [about Wyatt Earp] because someone is always going to prove you wrong," Hendricks told The Courier.