Billy Dixon & Wyatt Earp

A shy young man

I recently found this quote of Billy Dixon discussing his old friend Wyatt Earp. You may remember Dixon as the guy who made the famous 1500-yard shot at the Second Battle of Adobe Walls.

Billy Dixon

“Wyatt was a shy young man with few intimates. With casual acquaintances he seldom spoke unless spoken to. When he did say anything it was to the point, without fear or favor, which wasn't relished by some; but that never bothered Wyatt. To those who knew him well he was a genial companion. He had the most even disposition I ever saw; I never knew him to lose his temper. He was more intelligent, better educated, and far better mannered than the majority of his associates, which probably did not help them to understand him. His reserve limited his friendships, but more than one stranger, down on his luck, has had firsthand evidence of Wyatt's generosity. I think his outstanding quality was the nicety with which he gauged the time and effort for every move. That, plus his absolute confidence in himself, gave him the edge over the run of men.”

Wyatt Earp

Hopefully you found this as interesting as I did. More on Wyatt soon but this week (12/13/23) on The Wild West Extravaganza we’ll be taking a closer look at Wooden Leg and the Northern Cheyenne way of life. If you missed the first episode on Wooden Leg and his experience during the Battle of Little Bighorn, you can check it out here.

On December 20th we’ve got a Christmas episode coming your way (mixed with a little Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian) and on the 27th we’ll examine Wyatt Earp’s advice on gunfighting. Following December, I’ll most likely be kicking off the new year with a series on John Wesley Hardin.

Until then, if you’re hankering for some more Wyatt Earp content I got you covered! Check out this episode I released last January on Earp’s misadventures in Hollywood.

Till next time,

Adios!