Mattie Blaylock: A Joyless Love Story From the Common Law Wife of Wyatt Earp
She cast a glance one more time in the mirror that looked right into her soul. Mechanically, she tightened the large barrettes to make sure her long, curly and dark hair would not fall down, at least not yet. Casually she looked at her dress, which she just had made at the dress shop. She saved her hard earned money for many days so she could have a beautiful dress. A deep burgundy that brought out her pretty blue eyes, the dress seemed to have a life of its own. A shimmer cascaded down the length of the dress, bringing much light into her dark world. It was a little bit low near her breasts, but she had to have it that way. How else would she make herself desirable? Her tight corset was a bit too tight, but it did emphasize her breasts, her moneymakers, as she had been told.
Alas, she took pride in her appearance despite feeling an incredible sadness deep inside of herself. But the show must go on! She dabbled her cheeks with rouge, which accentuated her high cheek bones. She slapped on ruby red lipstick, puckered her lips as if kissing a fellow and finally declared she was ready. She walked toward the door, turned around to take a quick peak of her room, making sure it was ready for the next client. Opening the door quietly, she could hear rough voices downstairs, voices that she will have to contend with her soft voice, but she needed to make herself known and available.
She approached the staircase, lifted her long, silky dress slightly and walked down the wooden and much worn stairs. How many times has she been up and down those stairs today? She got to the bottom and looked around the smoky and smelly room. Many men were at the bar and surrounding tables, getting drunk and playing cards. It was a Friday night, a busy night for her as the men were off work for the week.
She looked forward toward the entrance, desiring to walk away from this life and into something better. But it would or could not be. It was time to get to work she reminded herself.
She walked around and saw plenty of choices, but one stood out. He was casually standing at the bar, drinking a Whiskey, looking around for someone perhaps. Their eyes met. She was instantly mesmerized. Walking over to the stranger, their eyes never leaving one another, she stood in front of him and asked the stranger what he wanted.
With a long smile on his face, he blustered out, “I think you know what I want.”
Before she took him to her room, she wanted to get to know this stranger. She typically did not do this, except to ask what her client would want, but he was different. They talked for hours, and even walked outside, up and down the board walks. It was as if time did not matter, nor what she will inevitably have to do. For once she felt important, not as a sex object, but as a woman. He treated her with respect, which was sometimes hard in those times. They did eventually go up to her room and did the “deed” she was usually paid for, but this time he did want to see her again. And this is how Maggie started her relationship with the infamous Wyatt Earp.
Welcome to the Women of the West series! I am doing a 4 part series of the women in Wyatt Earp’s life. Here are links to the previous stories (a must read!):
The Only Woman He Loved: the True Story of Wyatt Earp’s First Wife.
She Had the Last Laugh: Wyatt Earp’s Common Law Wife.
The above is a true woman that once lived, however, the story is fictionalized, but a part of it may have been true. It is a sad, sad story of Mattie’s life which I will share:
Celia Ann Blaylock, aka, Mattie, was born in 1850 in Wisconsin, but raised in Iowa. She ran away from home when she was 16 years old. In those times, jobs were very few for women, especially women that were 16 years old. She did what she thought she could do: prostitution. Not a glamourous lifestyle, and I am not sure if this is truly what she wanted to do. She had to eat and provide shelter for herself or suffer the consequences of living outside alone.
What would you have done differently if you were in her shoes?
I wonder if her family life was so bad that she had to run away before she could married? Or perhaps it was the opposite and she enjoyed her childhood, but had a zest to travel and see what was outside of Iowa?
She met Wyatt Earp in 1873, when she was 23 years old. Remember, his wife, Aurilla, had died in 1870 from either typhoid or during childbirth. He came back to Dodge City, Kansas and became an assistant marshal, but I have also read that he worked in a brothel, maybe as a pimp or some other position. Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint people from long ago and report the truth! Wyatt met Mattie in Dodge City, Kansas. They became romantic companions and she still was a prostitute during their relationship. Eventually they moved to Tombstone, Arizona in 1879. She was considered his “common law wife,” although they never got married.
During this time, Mattie started developing terrible headaches. Unfortunately, aspirin was not invented yet but something addicting would change her life forever. Laudanum was something many people used for their aches, pains and illnesses. It was a common medicine in those times as medicine was limited compared to today’s medical world. It had Opium in it, which is an addictive drug, producing euphoric and pain-relieving effects. Mattie became addicted to Laudanum, which Wyatt was not happy about. I can imagine the arguments they had about her health and addictions. So instead of trying to get her off the Laudanum and help with a doctor, he decided to have an affair with another woman, Josephine Marcus, as the now heavily addicted Mattie would rather spend time with the Laudanum bottle than with him.
Wyatt concocted an idea to get “rid” of Mattie, but not through death. The new woman in his life was more important at this time and Mattie may have been a nuisance, someone in his way as he enjoyed the company of Josephine.
He sent Mattie to Colton, California, along with his siblings and their wives, and his brother Virgil, as he was seeking revenge for the death of his brother, Morgan. I am not sure if Mattie knew Wyatt was having an affair, but she diligently waited for a telegraph from him, so she can go back and be reunited with Wyatt. She was hopeful. I wondered if she really believed a telegraph would come? Did it?
The telegraph never came.
Mattie was heartbroken.
Taken in 1885 in Globe, Arizona. She looks much older, but was only 35.
She eventually moved to Globe, Arizona, and became a prostitute again. I wonder if she could still prostitute her body despite that she was aging? Still, a woman is a woman no matter the age to some men.
One fateful day on July 3, 1888, Mattie had a severe headache again. She took a dose of Laudanum, lied down to rest and never woke up again.
It was a lethal dose. Did she mean to do it or was it an accidental overdose?
She is buried in Pinal, Arizona (a town that was near Superior, Arizona), with a part of the inscription on her headstone that says she died by suicide. Whether intentionally or not, it was a sad end to a woman in love with the outlaw Wyatt Earp.
References:
Alexander, Kathy. 2025. Legends of America, Mattie Blaylock – Wyatt Earp’s Common Law Wife
Margaritoff, Marco. "The Tragic Story Of Mattie Blaylock, The Common-Law Wife Of Wyatt Earp Who He Later Abandoned." AllThatsInteresting.com, July 1, 2024, https://allthatsinteresting.com/mattie-blaylock.