Whatever Happened to Ike Clanton?
Ike Clanton survived the infamous shootout at the OK Corral.
Do you ever get to wondering whatever happened to Ike Clanton? He survived the infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral, but then where’d he go?
Well, he died anyway. Fatally wounded in a different shootout.
After leaving Tombstone when the smoke from the OK Corral incident had cleared, Ike and his brother Phineas moved up north and began ranching in Graham County. But he became involved in such things as illegal cattle appropriation (rustling) and more gunplay. Eventually, he was shot and killed by a private investigator. Few mourned his death. A local newspaper summarized it like this:
Thus ended the wild career of poor, deluded, misguided Ike Clanton. He sowed to the wind and has harvested the whirlwind, and his harvest is gathered into a narrow house, six feet by two, and the panther, wolf and bear growl a fitting requiem over his grave. His end was typical of his life — swift, rough and the hardest that could be the fate of any mortal man. Let us hope it is for the best.
We are fascinated with the Clanton’s and go out to the ruins of their old ranch quite often. I don’t personally think they were as bad as history has made them out to be and in fact, it’s very likely that there was a power struggle between the Clanton’s and the Earp’s. The gunfight didn’t even happen the way most think it did.
We believe we have communicated with Old Man Clanton a few times. Here is one of our EVP’s from a visit out there with just two of us.
https://soundcloud.com/dwight-hull/over-here-long-way-really-bad
History has been both brutal as well as downright un-historically light on Ike Clanton and his family. He came from a family of Cattle Rustlers and thieves. Did you know that he deposited 3200.00 dollars in the bank in Tombstone in the span of thirty days from October 2nd 1881 to Nov 2, 1881 before and after the Fight at the O.K. Corral. 1400 dollars under his name and 1800 dollars under his 19 year old brothers name? How much money was stolen from the stage that he accused Doc Holliday of robbing? He was not murdered as is suggested in the story above, but was actually shot by a deputy sheriff while in the commission of a theft. The family was bad. No two ways about it. His father and other siblings lost their life in New Mexico while stealing Mexican Cattle and bringing it back across the border. Johnny Ringo committed suicide because his friends were all dead and his family in California refused to take him back into the family because of his criminal lifestyle. I would not make the Clanton’s out to be saints here.
You nailed that on the head. The Clantons were rustlers, thieves and killers. Nuff said!!
How old was billy. Calentón and was the Frost to start shopping at the shoot out
You got to be kidding , Ike Clanton was an outlaw, and murdersr. Do a little research I do my research at the local libary and the internet. He was a drunken coward.
Yes, Bob. Research it!
Lol okay Bob so he wasn’t the
bravest of the group however he was an outlaw.
Thank you
Ike Clanton had my great great grandfather James Hale killed on Christmas day 1886. James Hales went into town to report that he had witnessed part of the Clanton gang rustling cattle. The news got to Ike Clanton and he told some of his gang that he wanted Old man Hale taken care of. So on Christmas morning in front of his daughter a couple of cowards shot and killed an unarmed old man. I would like to know where Ike Clanton is really buried so I could piss on his grave. Wyatt Early should of shot the cowardly Bastard that he was!
Cool insights Rhonda!
I was wondering whether the private investigator was prosecuted for killing Ike Clanton and whether anyone knows the story of why the private investigator did it.
Ike Clanton faked his death and the private investigator was paid off to do so. Married into the family line 3 generations down. Ike took off and made a really good life for himself and his family.
The P.I. was J.V. Brighton, either an Apache Country Sheriff’s deputy or in the company of one at the time. I can’t find reference to it at the moment, but I seem to remember seeing him described as a “mail-order detective”.
Ike and Brighton were not strangers. In 1886, about a year prior to his death, Ike shot a man in a saloon fight and promptly took the other man’s gun to Brighton. You can read the testimony both Brighton and Clanton gave at the resulting court hearing here:
http://www.roundvalleyaz.com/transcript.html
In “Reminiscences” (Arizona Historical Review, April, 1932) J.T. (Joe) “Mac” McKinney, who was an Apache County deputy sheriff under Commodore Perry Owens, talked about a day when he made his first arrest. It was in relation to an unrelated incident.
“I met several men of note in Springerville that day. Among the number were Phineas (Phin) Clanton and Ike Clanton of Tombstone fame. I also met J.V. Brighton…. It is useless for me to try to mention the names of the hard men that were about the country in those days. I must say in justice to the Clantons that they were affable men, and if I was hunting for hard men I would never pick them.”
C.P. Owens took office as Apache County Sheriff in January of 1887, having been elected in the election of November 1886. McKinney’s meeting “men of note in Springerville” would have been shortly after that, not long before Ike’s death in May of that year.
“‘Ike’ Clanton was killed by lawmen on Bonita Creek, near Fort Grant, in 1887.” [Cites: Lorenzo Walters, Tombstone’s Yesterdays, 1928; Odie B. Faulk, Tombstone, 1972]. (Goff, John S., ARIZONA BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY.)
Of course, as soon as I posted the above, I found what I had been looking for:
“Wyatt Earp had allowed Ike to run away from the 1881 street fight in Tombstone, but J.V. Brighton, an Apache County deputy sheriff, wasn’t that charitable. Brighton, a correspondence school detective, caught up with Ike on Big Bonita Creek and sought to talk to him about some stolen cattle. Ike tried, once again, to run for it but Brighton’s bullet scored a bull’s-eye.” (Kearney Egerton, “The fascinating fourteen… Arizona counties” series, Arizona Republic, July 2, 1972.)
Thanks, Sara. That is really interesting history.
Often been to Tombstone over the years here in Arizona. On one visit, was discussing the street fight with one of the locals, who said, “Doc came up to Wyatt and said, ‘Why didn’t you kill Ike when you had the chance?’ And Wyatt replied, ‘Because he didn’t have a gun.'”
the only reason he survived the gunfight is because he had no gun and ran but his crimes caught up with him and repaid the price with bloodshed
Lucas – I noticed the last name, what is your relation?
the only reason he survived is that he was a COWARD!!!
Is Phin buried in Globe cemetery?
According to Find A Grave, he is:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3023
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=3023&PIpi=5286740
Very interesting history!
Ike was 41 when he died. He was trying to rob a bank when he was killed by the sherriff or deputy.
Ike died in 1886.
This is true. Six months earlier he had my g.g. grandfather (Old Man Hale) murder for turning his gang in for cattle rustling. What a bunch of cowards they were to shot a 60 something year old man who was unarmed and shot him in front of his youngest daughter on Christmas morning!!!!!
I just ran into Ike the other day. He says to tell all of y’all “Hey…it’s all good”!!!! None of y’all know what really happened to , to any of my affiliates at the “OK corral”…it’s all hear-say. Hell, as far as Ike is concerned, he told me none of that stuff happened!!! He said for me to tell all of you to “chew on that for a while”!!!
That’s so funny. I think I heard that at the end of the movie “Tombstone.”
Ike and Phin were probably the worst of them. I am a local historian and spend a lot of time researching at the archives as well as tax records. Were you aware that Ike had a lunch counter in Millville for the miners? or that Newman Clanton owned a hotel and bar in Charleston? Frank Stilwell owned a livery and bar in Charleston. They had legitimate business practices and made a great deal of money.
I have also learned that at least most of the time they weren’t rustling cattle from Mexico but not paying the tax when bringing them across the border. There are a lot of legends and most are not true. People did what they could to make a buck back then. The Earp’s were not all that different if you really do your research.
Thousands of people (over half of the population of Tombstone) turned out for the funeral of the losers of the gunfight. They weren’t as hated or feared as the movies and many books would have you believe.
We go out to their ranch with the hopes of learning a bit more.
PS. To the person who wrote that John Ringo killed himself, thanks for sharing your opinion. Fortunately, that’s not how it was determined. It was left as an open case, “undetermined” . Most historians and law enforcement alike feel it was murder due to the evidence left at the scene.
Hello, I am curious if they ever did any kind of DNA testing on his bones or anything to determine for sure if it really was him. My grandmother recently told me a story about my great great grandfather who she believes is ike clanton who faked his death and changed his name and actually died in his 90s. When she was a little girl. I have been very interested in his story lately. I am going to visit her in June so I am gonna try to get some pictures and stuff if she has them. But it really makes you wonder. I’ve always been told that I’m related to him but never knew how close. I would love to find out if there is truth to her story.
The photo you show is Curly Bill, not Ike Clanton.
John Ringo did not commit suicide. He was killed by Earp & Doc Holiday.
They left there mark by leaning him up against a tree in Turkey Creek Canyon, Arizona.
He had purchase a new pair of boots and had removed them at his camp.
that’s why he was barefoot.His gun holster belt was put on him upside down.
Earp & doc thought that was funny.
This info came from Mrs Earp as she heard Wyatt and Doc as they sat at the table drinking coffee and laughing about how they shot John Ringo..
Did you hear “Mrs Earp say that yourself, or is this just hear say? Just asking. Who today living really knows the truth?? Do you think you do??
I hope this is true. That is what someone like him deserved!
I’ve just started watching on Netflix The West and I’m absolutely fascinated with American history. I live in the U.K. and yes we have lots of history going back centurie, but understanding and listening to American history is fantastic. Why perhaps certain men/women did some things and what became of them is all wonderful history for me. My only sadness is the way the native Americans were treated…..but that’s history