Volume 3, Issue 3 www.PeaceOfficersMuseum.org The Earp Family and Their Nevada History Special Dates of Interest:  July 4, 2011 parade in Virginia City. 12:00 noon.  July 15-17 in Ontario, CA.— National Police Collector Show  May 5, 2012 in Virginia City , Police Memorial week Parade and Restored Emergency Vehicle Show. Inside this issue: The Earp Family and Nevada 1-2 Survivor’s Reception 4 Police Week Parade 2 An Evening with Glock 4 Collectors and Restored Emergency Vehicle Show 3 Thank You 4 Audio Tour System is Here 5 When people think about Wyatt and Virgil Earp, they often think about the Wild West; in particular the 1881 “Shoot Out at the OK Corral” in Tombstone, Arizona. The Earp’s reputations as lawmen, gamblers and prospectors are known to most western folklore fans who have studied their exploits. What most people are not aware of is the Earp family’s long history here in the State of Nevada. The Earps’ first exposure to Nevada was in 1864. On May 12 of that year Nicholas Porter Earp and family left Pella, Iowa and joined a wagon train heading to California. While in route, the wagon train made a brief stop in Austin, Nevada. It was here his son, James Cooksey Earp, made a decision to leave the trek west. James later showed up in Montana where he was known as a card dealer and gambler. It may have been in Austin where he honed his skills as a gambler. The rest of the Earp family continued on to California but several years later returned east to Lamar, Missouri. Sometime before 1880, Nicholas moved his family again to California and settled in San Bernardino. By this time, James Cooksey had Summer 2011 By Frank Adams Virgil Earp’s Esmeralda County deputy Sheriff Commission, 1905 married and rejoined the family. However, he and his wife soon moved on to Tombstone, Arizona. Encouraged by reports of the economic prospects there, some of the other Earps joined them. It was here on October 26, 1881, that several of the Earp brothers embarked on their famous or infamous “Shoot out at the OK Corral”. Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan and of course their partner, Doc Holiday, made their stand against the Clantons. This “shoot out” would become one of the most written about Wild West episodes in American history. When the Earps moved on from Tombstone they spread throughout the west and some ended up in Nevada. In March of 1897, Wyatt and his close friend Bat Masterson, showed up in Carson City for the Corbett-Fitzsimmons prize fight. Wyatt was working as a reporter for “The New York World” at time. Upon arrival in Carson City, Bat Masterson was appointed by Chief of Police Kenney to head a squad of men to work the fight. It was rumored that Wyatt was one of these special officers. Wyatt and Bat were seen armed and escorting the fighters to ring the day of the fight. From here, Wyatt and his wife Josephine headed for Nome Alaska in search of gold. (cont. Page 2) Page 2 The Silver Star The Earps Nevada History Also in 1897, Newton Jasper Earp, Wyatt’s stepbrother, is on record as living in Paradise Valley, north of Winnemucca with his family. While there, he was elected Constable and hired his son Wyatt Clyde as his deputy. His younger son Virgil Edwin married a young lady from Paradise Valley and they made a life there for several years. Newton’s daughter Effie May and wife Jennie died on March 29, 1898 while the family was still in Paradise Valley. Wyatt and his wife Josie returned to Nevada in 1902, settling in Tonopah. Here he financed a saloon known as the “The Northern”. He also did a little prospecting, unsuccessfully. In between the saloon and chasing gold, he worked as a deputy for U. S. Marshal J. F. Emmitt, mainly serving civil process. He did convince his brother Virgil and his wife to come to Goldfield in the summer of 1904. When Virgil arrived, he was promptly commissioned a deputy sheriff for Esmeralda County. His main job was security at a local saloon. Virgil contracted pneumonia and passed away on October 19, 1905. The Earps were not heard of in Nevada again till the middle of the century. In 1954, a young man donned the blue uniform of the Las Vegas Police Department, raised his right hand and swore an oath to up hold the laws of the City of Las Vegas, the State of Nevada and to the protect the Constitution of the United States. That young man was Walter R. Earp Jr. He was the grandnephew of Wyatt. Several years later, the Colt Firearms Company reproduced the “Buntline Special”, a .45 caliber long barreled handgun which Wyatt and other western lawmen used in the late 1800’s. One of these reproduction handguns was presented to Officer Earp in 1959. After a distinguished career as a police officer in Las Vegas, he retired as a lieutenant from what is now the Las Vegas Police Metropolitan Police Department in 1975. As the Earps’ family history will forever be tied to Tombstone, Arizona and the “Shoot out at the OK Corral”, Nevada will also always be part of that family history. Police Memorial Week Parade by Doug Gist Our annual Police Memorial Week Parade took place on Saturday, May 14, 2011. Sixty entries made this the largest parade yet and certainly the only law enforcement dedicated parade around. Law enforcement agencies along with participants of the Comstock Restored Emergency Vehicle Show fascinated a packed C Street crowd on a beautiful May day. Pipers Rick James and Robert Bledsaw played the bagpipes behind a combined color guard and honor guards representing the Washoe and Storey County Sheriff’s Offices and Nevada Department of Public Safety. Northern Nevada law enforcement agency participation included Reno PD, Sparks PD, The 2012 parade is May 5th. shouldn't your agency participate? Washoe School District PD, Washoe, Carson City and Storey County Sheriff’s Offices as well as Nevada DPS to name a few. The South Lake Tahoe PD and Sierra County Sheriff’s Office represented the State of California this year. The Police Week Parade for 2012 will take place on Saturday, May 5th to better coincide with local area law enforcement memorial events. We look forward to a greater California and Nevada agency participation for 2012. Please spread the word and get your agency involved. See our event poster elsewhere in this newsletter. Volume 3, Issue 3 Page 3 Comstock Police Collectors and Restored Emergency Vehicle Show by Doug Gist The Comstock Police Collectors and Restored Emergency Vehicle Show took place on Saturday, May 14th in Virginia City. Vehicles, owners, and collectors from a number of states attended. Awards were presented in several categories for both events. From the collector show, the Ron Donoho Memorial Best of Show award went to Mike McCarthy for his very nice San Francisco PD display. The Best Badge award went to Gary Hoving while Best Historical was awarded to Gary Teragawa. Carson City collector Roy Semmens was awarded the Best Patch award. the best law Enforcement Vehicle for his beautiful 1963 Ford Mayberry tribute car. Every one of the entries were award worthy and that fact made judging very difficult. We thank them all for participating and hope to see all of these vehicles next year. TOP: A few of the restored emergency vehicles at the show. ABOVE: Richard and Susan Lund proudly show their Best Fire Apparatus Award. RIGHT: Mark Butterfield poses with his award in front of his Mayberry tribute car. BELOW: Mike McCarthy accepts his Best of Show Award from Doug Gist and his very fine SFPD display at right. Chris Hagen took home the Best of Show award on the vehicle show side for his 1973 Dodge Coronet Monterey County Sheriff’s Office patrol car. The attention to detail and historically correct equipment in his vehicle was outstanding. Richard and Susan Lund of Sparks were presented with the Best Fire Apparatus award for their exceptional 1923 Dodge Chemical Wagon while mark Butterfield of Elko took home The Museum is a Geocache Site The museum has recently become a geocache site and geocachers have rushed our doors to discover the newest site in Virginia City and to leave their mark at the museum. The site has been established by our friend Linda “SewWhatReno” and has received great reviews. Called A Safe Place, cachers may access the site without actually entering the museum or paying admission. Many cachers have chosen to enter the museum in order to enjoy what the museum has to offer. Peggy McElfish of Sparks, Nevada was our first geocacher finding the spot on May 28, 2011. She was in town with family and decided to give them the slip and conduct a little caching. Geocaching is a hobby that has spread like wildfire since the introduction of the GPS device. We are pleased to offer the opportunity to cachers and look forward to their enjoying what the museum has to offer as well. “Nicest cache we’ve found, lots of good things! Highly recommend the museum.” Peggy McElfish was our first geocache site visitor. The museum has become a hot spot for the geocaching hobby. “L br fr as Volume 3, Issue 3 Page 4 Welcome New Members Nevada Survivor’s Reception by Doug Gist The museum hosted a very special Survivor’s Reception on the evening of May 5th. Nearly 100 people were in attendance with family representing a dozen Nevada officers who have died in the line of duty from throughout history. Unfortunately a number of families contacted were unable to attend. Live music was provided by singer Sandy Selby, Jody Peterson, and Virginia City banjo player Gary Greenlund. Sandy Selby sang a beautiful rendition of A Call To Courage, written by Detroit area police officer and song writer Darron Mckinney as a fitting tribute to those officers who have sacrificed their lives in service to Nevada communities. Family members were given the opportunity to create an audio recording living history of their loved one for inclusion within the memorial room computer kiosk. Four of the families took advantage of the opportunity and two of these living histories have also been posted on the museum website. Be sure to listen to the audio files on the pages for Agent Ron Chelius and Deputy Hugh Gallagher. Each family was presented with an engraved gift from the museum and a keepsake from the reception and in recognition of their loved one. I stood for more than a dozen Nevada officers’ funeral services as a 19 year honor guard member and I remember very well the faces of the children having lost a father or mother to tragedy. It was heartwarming to see firsthand a few of those children now grown with families of their own. At just about the moment when our guests had left and the museum doors were about to close, the sound of bagpipes were heard approaching from afar. Several Las Vegas Metro PD honor guard members led by their piper made a visit to the museum and provided a fine finish to a very meaningful evening. Our reception fell on the evening following the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial ceremonies in Carson City and was certainly a fitting way to close out the day. Thank you to our newest members, Darryl Lindsay and Michael Johnson. Support through membership is very important to our continued operation and ability to present a quality experience for our visitors. Please become a member today. In Their Honor. Remember Them All. NEW MUSEUM FEATURE The museum has a new photo opportunity as shown below by volunteer Roy Semmens. Visitors may now dress in a period uniform and step into the day in front of this backdrop! Survivor’s Reception guests were elbow to elbow. An Evening With Glock Firearms Representatives by Doug Gist The Western States Region representatives of Glock Firearms really know how to live it up. They hold an annual training and strategy meeting somewhere different and mix work with pleasure in an effort to team build. This year, Larry Ford, Law Enforcement District manager for Glock, selected Virginia City as the perfect site for a week of hard work and good times. Larry had contacted the museum regarding a visit and instead received a red carpet welcome complete with food and drink as well as personal time in the museum. It looked a little like the museum had been invaded by the likes of Wyatt and Virgil Earp along with Doc Holliday and their best wild west pals. The group left an impression throughout the town. Thanks to Bill and Barb Tompkins and Frank and Patty Adams for providing the delicious food. Given that most of these guys are antique firearms collectors, they found plenty to enjoy as well as to assist us with our facts surrounding a few of the vintage handguns we maintain. Glock representatives strike a pose. The Silver State National Peace Officers Museum is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and sharing of the rich history of law enforcement in America. Founded in 2007 and opening in 2009, we are located in the historic 1876 Storey County Jail within the courthouse at 26 South B Street in Virginia City, Nevada. Silver State National Peace Officers Museum 26 South B Street, Virginia City, Nevada In Their Honor PO Box 17051, Reno, NV. 89511 Museum: 775.847.7800 Director: 775.846.5948 www.PeaceOfficersMuseum.org E-mail: [email protected] Open daily from 11 to 5 from May 1st through October 31st Audio Tour System is Here by Doug Gist As mentioned in our last newsletter, the museum has been seeking a sponsor for the purchase of an audio tour system. We are pleased to announce that Comstock Mining of Virginia City has stepped up to provide full funding for the purchase of the selected system. In fact, Doug McQuide of Comstock Mining visited the museum on Friday, June 24th to present the check. Our system has been now been shipped and we will take delivery in the next week or so. As one might imagine, there is much work to be done in preparing outlines for the audio presentations. When completed, this new experience multipli- er will provided our visitors with narrated stories, facts, and descriptions of our exhibits through the use of a number of special presenters. Our docents will still be here to answer your questions. Our deepest thank you goes out to Comstock Mining for supporting our museum vision.! Advertising Would you be interested in advertising in our newsletter? This publication reaches thousands of readers and circulation continues to grow. Placing an ad with us supports the museum and draws attention to your business. NOW AVAILABLE This special keepsake badge is available for purchase in either gold tone or silver. Limited quantities exist. Contact us to reserve yours now.