Title: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, by Dan Bates (2005)
Location: Behind the Tucson Train Depot on North Toole.
Details: Bronze life-size sculptures, without even so much as a
plaque to describe who's who, or why they are here. Presented by the
Friends of Western Art.
She Said:
Tucson's connection to the Old West - hmmm. Having moved here from the
east, I must say that I have always thought of Tucson as being part of
the west, old or otherwise. That having been said, I'll add that I
rather like these bronze gentlemen, poised as they are behind the
railroad depot. They don't exactly look as though they're waiting for a
train, but they do bring a glimpse of the past to the present, what
with their long coats and hardware. As far as which one is which, I
think that the one on the left is Earp, and the somewhat more nattily
attired one on the right is Doc. Readers, what do you think?
He Said:
This is Tucson's connection to the Old West, specifically the most
infamous gunfight of them all. Months after the gunfight at the OK
Corral, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday caught up with Frank Stillwell at
the railroad depot in Tucson, where he was sent to the hereafter (but
not by train).
While I think it's a odd thing to commemorate a shooting that took
place, oh, about 120 years ago -- especially since there is some
controversy over the motive for the shooting, these are well done and
add interest to the back of the depot. Perhaps in the future, we may know which one is Doc, and which is Wyatt.
Copyright © 2005 S. Halversen.
All rights
reserved.