Peter’s article is a masterclass in research. It shows how powerful the combined strength of hundreds and hundreds of informational plot-points can be (when combined with the dedication to find and compile them). In this case his efforts replace a false story with valuable truth that has never before been told. Every author that has taken Sadie’s words at face value played in to her designs. The corner-cutting methods and assumptions employed by many writers who have touched on this subject before are now rendered null and void. This is exactly how historical research should be done. 



The article is fascinating for its ability to take us through a life lived in a time, place and set of circumstances many readers could never imagine. Beyond that, it’s an important article not just because it correctly tells the story of the wife of Wyatt Earp, but but it also takes us in to the mind of the person who had control over Wyatt Earp’s legacy in the years after his death. If your only interest in the article is Wyatt Earp, you can clearly see how the slanted effects of Sadie helped set his legend in motion.



I cannot imagine being interested in this segment of American West history and not being a Wild West History Association member. This is without even touching on Roy Young’s fantastic article on Wyatt Earp and George Hearst that appears in the same Journal as Peter’s article (which also made for a sensational presentation at TTR last October.)