Volume 7 , Issue 11

Alpha G. Updegraff of NW Oklahoma

We were wondering if... this Alpha Updegraff of the Freedom and NW Oklahoma is the same "Al Updegraff" who was injured in a Bat Masterson's last shootout, April 17, 1881, Dodge City, Kansas?

We do know that our "Alph" of NW Oklahoma was born in 1856 and would have been 25 years of age in 1881. That's one of the things we discovered when we looked up the UPDEGRAFF family history in our copy of the "Pioneer Footprints Across Woods County" history book, pages 706-707. The article on Alpha Gordon Updegraff was written by Nancy Groalman Berlowe.

What brought this question to mind was because of an Email we received asking us if the Alpha Updegraff of Freedom, Oklahoma was the same Al Updegraff in the Dodge City, Kansas shootout April, 1881. This Al Updegraff (sometimes spelled Updegraph) was a brother-in-law of A. J. Peacock. Peacock was a partner in a dance hall in Dodge City with Jim Masterson (brother of Bat Masterson). Al Updegraff was the bartender at the dance hall in 1881.

It seems from what I've read so far that Jim Masterson was having trouble with his partner, A.J. Peacock, and Bat Masterson came from Arizona by train -- arriving in Dodge City, Kansas at noon, April, 1881 to aid, fight his brother (Jim's) battles. This was also Bat Masterson's last gunfight in which Al Updegraff was wounded in the lung, but survived. It was uncertain whether it was a bullet from Bat Masterson's gun, or if Updegraff was shot from behind from someone inside the dancehall.

There was one other bystander that was also wounded when a bullet meant for Bat Masterson ricocheted off something and hit the innocent bystander. There were no mortalities and Bat Masterson (age 27) was fined $8 and took the next train out of Dodge.

There are links to other websites in the Mailbag Corner below with more of the story of Bat Masterson and his last gunfight. What we would like to know is if "Alpha Updegraff" of NW Oklahoma was the same man as "Al Updegraff" that was injured in a gunfight at Dodge City, Kansas.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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