We have this picture of Doc over the fireplace was drawn by Bob Boze Bell.
A Little History on Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday was a gambler and a gunfighter of the Old West. He was born John Henry Holliday in Spalding County, Georgia on August 14, 1851. He died in November of 1887 at the Glenwood Hotel of tuberculosis. His mother had died of the same disease and Doc had probably contracted it from her. In 1872, he graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery and soon after, headed west. He was advised that the dry climate of the west might help his condition.
Doc tried to practice dentistry but soon was attracted to the saloons, gaming halls, and the liquor which helped to ease the pain of his illness. Eventually, he became a professional gambler traveling from town to town earning his living. Because he was handy with a gun and used it on several occasions, he soon earned the reputation of a gun slinger.
When Doc came to Wyatt Earp’s rescue in Dodge City (while Wyatt was the marshall) they became friends. Doc traveled often in the company of Big Nose Kate, his girlfriend and sometime prostitute. Doc and Kate met up with Wyatt and his brothers in Tombstone, Arizona. The Earps and Doc had a feud with Ike Clanton which led to the shoot-out at the OK Corral with Doc, Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp on one side and Ike and Billy Clanton, Frank and Tom McLaury on the other side. When the thirty odd shots were fired, Billy Clanton, Frank and Tom McLaury all received fatal wounds. Marshall Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were arrested for the deaths of the three men but were later released.
Doc Holliday then headed to Colorado where he spent time in Denver and Leadville. In May of 1886, he arrived in Glenwood Springs attracted by the claims of the healing hot springs located here. Ironically, the sulfuric fumes from the hot springs greatly aggravated his condition and soon he was bedridden at the Glenwood Hotel. Doc Holliday’s life ended in November of 1887 at the Glenwood Hotel (located at the corner of 8th and Grand — unfortunately it burned down in 1945). Doc Holliday was to be buried at the Linwood Cemetery located on a hill above Glenwood. However, the hearse was unable to make it up the muddy hill, so they decided to bury him at the bottom until they were able to transport the body to the cemetery. By all accounts, he was never moved. Somebody may very well have Doc Holliday buried in their back yard!
Doc Holliday’s Saloon was a mercantile store at the time when Doc Holliday came to Glenwood. The main bar dating from the 1870’s came from Leadville in the 1920’s and was built in the East. Quite possibly when Doc was in Leadville looking for a place to hang his hat, he might have had a drink in the building that this bar was located.
If you would like more information on Doc Holliday’s life and history tours, buy “The Illustrated Life and Times of Doc Holliday” by Bob Boze Bell or visit our Glenwood History museum.