Going After Silver
It was in October 1879 that Earp got to Las Vegas to meet up with Holliday. He informed Doc that he was on his way to Tombstone, Arizona for the silver boom. Holliday tried to chase after the gold rushes in Wyoming and Dakota to no avail. At any rate, he later joined Earp a year later. In the new Western territories, there were not lots of government forces to take on crime. This was how Earp and his brother ended up taking over that role. County sheriff Johnny Behan initially turned a blind eye to their efforts. However, Behan started to see them as criminals when Holliday entered the scene.
Becoming Doc
Holliday was busy gambling, fighting, and practicing dentistry when he was in Fort Griffin, Texas. He earned a reputation for giving customers their money back for unsatisfactory business. It was why he was nicknamed “Doc.” In 1878, he permanently retired as a dentist. Several shootings later, he became famous for being good with his weapon. However, he still had tuberculosis. For a year, he lived in Las Vegas for the reported healing properties of the hot springs there. He later left for Dodge City thanks to the anti-gambling laws but came back to build saloons in Vegas. It was where he and Earp reunited.