At one time, five Earp brothers were living in Tombstone: James, Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan, and Warren. The stories about the gunfights and other activities are well known, but what is not common knowledge is that Wyatt persuaded his brothers to invest in several mining properties here in Tombstone. Wyatt had hoped to make money on mining, and his other activities were often no more than ways of getting by until his mines started paying off.
On December 6, 1879, after first arriving in town, James, Virgil, and Wyatt claimed the "First North Extension of the Mountain Maid Mine." That was roughly 17 acres, as indicated on the following map.
They filed a patent for the claim on October 21, 1881, and that patent was granted on November 15, 1882. They began developing the "Earps' Addition" to the townsite and started selling lots in this area. From 1879 until 1881, Wyatt and his brothers engaged in various real estate and mining activities. For example, in 1880, they sold a small piece of property west of town for $6000.
Events in Cochise County soon overtook the Earps' lives. Eventually, Morgan was killed at the Campbell & Hatch Billiard Parlor on March 18, 1882, and all the Earps left the area shortly afterward. Their Mountain Maid claim was not sold or otherwise resolved during Wyatt's lifetime. However, there is an occasional newspaper article about someone who has plans to renew that claim as a tourist destination.
