Dangberg ranch in Minden hosting chautauqua of Virgil Earp July 20

Larry Ford will present “Virgil Earp: The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m.

Virgil Walter Earp was born in Hartford, Kentucky on July 18, 1843. He moved to Prescott, Arizona Territory in July 1877 and by November of 1878 he was elected Town Constable. In November of 1879 Virgil was appointed U. S. Deputy Marshal and given special assignment to Cochise County to resolve an ongoing organized crime problem with a group known as the Cow-Boys. He and his brother Wyatt Earp arrived in Tombstone in June of 1881 where Virgil was appointed City Marshal and where the gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place. Eventually In 1904, Virgil joined Wyatt in the boomtown of Goldfield, Nevada, where he became a deputy sheriff for Esmeralda County.

The Chautauqua Series is sponsored by Soaring NV, Bently Enterprises, Carson Valley Accounting, Horse Tales Publications, Carson Valley Times, Carson Valley Inn and the Frances C. and William P. Smallwood Foundation. This series is also made possible with the assistance of Nevada Humanities, an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Tickets are $5 for adults, free for 16 and younger. Tickets are available in Gardnerville at Battle Born Wine, in Minden at 88 Cups & More, and can also be purchased at dangberg.eventbrite.com. Unless sold out, tickets will also be available at the gate.

Larry Ford has served in the U.S. Airforce as a Law Enforcement Specialist in both Desert Storm and Desert Shield. In addition to serving with the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Weapons Special Response Team, he has served as a law enforcement officer in Colorado. Ford is a law enforcement instructor for the National Rifle Association and is currently a court certified firearms expert who testifies in numerous federal and state criminal prosecutions. He is also Law Enforcement District Manager for GLOCK Inc.

Larry Ford has a strong interest in western history and shooting sports. He is a member of the Single Action Shooting Society, Virginia City Living Legends and the Peace Commission Historical Preservation Entertainers. Ford is also a contributing writer for the magazine Guns of the Old West.

The park is located at 1450 Highway 88, 1/4 mile north of the Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital. This is an outdoor event, and visitors should bring their own seating. Dogs are not permitted at this event. For more information, visit dangberghomeranch.org.

Other Chautauqua Series performances coming up at the park include “Stephen Tying Mather: First Director of the National Park Service” August 10, “John Muir in Person” August 24 and “Mary Pickford” September 7. The park’s full 2016 event schedule is available at the park’s website.