Wyatt Earp celebration this weekend in Murray

MURRAY — Something unique is happening this weekend in the former seat of Shoshone County. 

Members of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, commonly referred to as Clampers, from the Irish Kate 1858 Chapter in Spokane, will be in Murray as part of their mission to restore and preserve local history.  

Hosted by the Spragpole Museum, the event will include a Wyatt Earp reenactment, a parade featuring the Clampers’ drill team and a Wyatt Earp plaque dedication.  

Sadae Lortz, a board member for the Spragpole Museum, said the weekend will be a culmination of efforts by the Clampers, who have been working in the area over the past few weeks.  

“They have been doing restoration and cleanup work around Murray,” Lortz said.

Derek Cartwright, president of the Irish Kate 1858, said the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus is a fraternal organization founded in 1845 in West Virginia and was established as a sort of parody group to similar organizations like the Freemasons or Oddfellows.  

“Today, Clampers focus their efforts on the preservation of history and the protection of widows and orphans in our communities,” Cartwright said. 

There are over 50 chapters spread across the western United States.

Legendary western icon Wyatt Earp may be known from movies like "Tombstone" and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," but he also spent time in Eagle City, nestled between Prichard and Murray, during the Coeur d’Alene Mining District's gold rush in the 1880s. 

Because the boundary between Kootenai and Shoshone counties wasn’t clearly defined, Earp served as deputy sheriff for Kootenai County while also operating a saloon in Eagle City. In 1884, he and Shoshone County Deputy Sheriff W.F. Hunt broke up a gunfight between rival miners, which is the source material for the Clampers' reenactment.  

This special part of Silver Valley history will be memorialized on a plaque that will be dedicated and showcased at the Spragpole Museum.  

“We are hoping to preserve the history of Wyatt Earp and his ventures in the area," Cartwright said. 

The Wyatt Earp reenactment begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by the parade and plaque dedication. The Spragpole Museum will be open.

    The official seal of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, or Clampers.