Doc Holliday

Fun Fact

On Nov. 8, 1887, John Henry “Doc” Holliday died of tuberculosis in a rented room at the Hotel Glenwood in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The fact is, despite his fame and notoriety, the gambler, gunfighter, dentist and friend of Wyatt Earp left this earth destitute. However, legend tells us that Doc did have one possession dear to him at the time of his passing that turned out to be quite valuable: an 1866 Remington derringer pistol with an inscription reading To Doc from Kate.

It’s this artifact from the past that keeps visitors coming to the Doc Holliday Museum—a stand-alone museum dedicated to Doc’s life and the times in which he lived. The museum, run by the Glenwood Springs Historical Society, is located on the lower level of the Bullocks Western Store at Eighth St. and Grand Ave. Coincidentally, it also happens to be the location of the Hotel Glenwood—where Doc died. In 1945, the Hotel Glenwood burned to the ground.

Doc’s derringer is the centerpiece exhibit of the museum. Even though the weapon is enshrined in a well-lit plexiglass case, museum-goers can still get an up-close look at the ornate inscription. It’s well known that Holliday had a relationship with Mary Katherine Horony-Cummings, better known as “Big Nose Kate,” a prostitute of Hungarian decent. According to the lore, Kate gave the gun to Holliday as a gift, probably around 1881 in Tombstone, Arizona.