The O.K. Corral is the reason most people come to Tombstone, and it earns the pilgrimage. The original livery and horse corral was established in 1879, and on October 26, 1881, it became the site of the most famous gunfight in American history: Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, and Doc Holliday faced off against Ike and Billy Clanton and Frank and Tom McLaury. The 30-second exchange left three men dead and became the defining myth of the Wild West.
The site today includes a museum with period artifacts, historical photographs, and detailed accounts of the Earp era. Daily reenactments of the gunfight take place throughout the day using the original footprint of the corral. The performances are theatrical but grounded in the historical record. Allow an hour to see both the museum and a reenactment.