A symbol is a person place or thing that represents or stands for something else. When the Wild West comes to mind most people think of stage coaches and cattle drives, sarsaparilla and playing cards. The Wild West was the period after 1775, the name referencing the rebellious nature of the new found occupants of the settlements that resulted promptly after the Louisiana Purchase. This grand affair opened the wilderness west of the Mississippi to pioneers from the built up states of the East. The best attribute to typify the free, fierce, unbroken spirit of this era is found in the tales of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. Doc Holliday was born under the name John Henry Holliday. He was born to a mother and a father that had recently lost their…show more content… His father was a lawman as well as a farmer who had once served in the Army. Nicholas Earp always had a high standard of knowledge and respect for land and for the law, instilling in his children the same regard. When Wyatt turned 16 he moved to Colton, California near San Bernardino, with his parents, where he was employed as a teamster and railroad worker. In 1870 Wyatt returned east and married, but after the sudden death of his new bride, he sulked off into the Indian Territory working as a buffalo hunter and stagecoach…show more content… It was Tombstone that made these two gunfighters extraordinary members of society and timeless mascots of the Wild West era. On October 26, 1881, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp were all a part of an intense shootout against cowboys Ike and Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and his brother Tom. Well over 30 rounds were fired off in a battle that lasted only half a minute and came to be known as the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral. Three of the five men discrediting the long arm of the law were killed, while two escaped. The Earp brothers and Doc Holliday all walked away from the massacre. Both Morgan and Virgil were wounded, and Virgil was later terminated as marshal for playing a part in the deaths of the three men. It's said to be the most legendary gunfight in the history of the American