The town of Earp circa 1960.
The town of Earp is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County bordering Arizona. Originally called Drennan for 20 years, the town was renamed in honor of Wyatt Earp, a legendary lawman, businessman and miner who lived in the region with his wife, Josephine Sarah Marcus. Earp is best known for his role in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, which took place during the 1880s.
In 1925, Earp spent part of the year in the Mojave Desert’s Whipple Mountains, where he staked more than 100 copper and gold mining claims. He was also an honorary deputy in the area, helping local law enforcement fight crime. However, Earp was not happy with the town’s name selection because he wanted to escape the notoriety of his youth and avoid questions from those who recognized him, which interrupted his work.
Although the town was named after him, Earp never lived there. He lived in Vidal, which is 25 miles away, and in Los Angeles during the summer months. From 1925 to 1928, Earp and his wife resided in the Earp Cottage in Vidal, which was the only permanent home they owned during their time together. A concrete monument and historical marker can still be found in front of the Earp Cottage today.
Earp passed away in 1929. The town has a small cemetery with a memorial grave for him, although his real burial site is located in the Hills of Eternity Cemetery in Colma, CA near San Francisco.
At the time, the town of Earp had a population of 300, but today, it’s a ghost town.
The information in this historical feature was originally part of a video series produced by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office.
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