Annie Oakley was America’s first female celebrity and indeed one of the country’s first superstars. She was born Phoebe Ann Mosey in 1860 in rural Darke County, Ohio, just northwest of Dayton.
Her father passed away when she was just six years old, plunging the family into poverty. For a time she worked for another family under slave-like conditions, returning to her mother, and new stepfather, when she was 15. To help support the family, she used the shooting and trapping skills she had developed from the age of 7 to hunt game, selling pelts to the G.A. Katzenbergers Brothers store in nearby Greenville.
Annie’s shooting prowess was so well known that when a professional sharpshooter named Frank Butler came to town, the locals told him they knew someone in the area that could beat him. Butler was stunned when he saw his competition was a 15-year-old girl. They alternating hitting targets until after the 22nd shot Butler missed. Annie hit her remaining targets and won the contest. Instead of being angry or disappointed, Butler, 13 years Phoebe Anne’s senior, was smitten. The two were soon married.
At first, following the marriage, Butler toured with his longtime performing partner John Graham. Annie helped out on stage but was relegated to holding various targets. At one performance, though, Butler was having an off night and kept missing. Some in the crowd, aware of Annie’s reputation as a sharpshooter, yelled for her to have a go, and Frank obliged. She hit every target.
When John Graham fell ill a few weeks later, the act became Frank and his bride. It was around this time she took the stage name, Annie Oakley. There is some debate about why she chose Oakley. Some reports say it was because she and Frank had lived, for a time, in the Oakley neighborhood of Cincinnati. According to PBS’ American Experience, the name was that of her grandmother. However, genealogy records do not contain the name Oakley before Annie using it, so likely it did come from the neighborhood in Cincinnati.
Butler, recognizing Annie’s talent and beauty, made her the star of the show. The duo later joined up with various vaudeville tours and circuses before catching on with Buffalo Bill Cody’s very popular Wild West Show. The 1891 program for the show describes Annie as “an accomplished equestrienne, and her success with the public has been greatly enhanced by the fact that in dress, style, and execution she is as original as she is attractive.”
In 1901, a train, carrying the show from Charlotte, NC to New York, crashed. Annie suffered injuries that forced her to leave the show. She went on to star in a play and was starting to build a whole new career when her reputation suddenly came into question.
Reports surfaced in the Hearst newspapers that Annie had been arrested in Chicago for stealing to support a cocaine habit. It was quickly revealed that another person, a burlesque performer, was simply using Annie’s name, but the damage was done. She sued 55 papers across the country for liable, and though she won 54 of the suits, she still lost money pursuing legal action.
In 1913 she and Frank briefly returned to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show only to perform for smaller and smaller crowds. Annie was as sure a shot as she’d ever been, but the entire show was competing with a new form of entertainment called motion pictures. In 1913, Frank and Annie left Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and settled into retirement; but not for long.
Bored with domestic life, the two were soon back on the road, only this time touring for fun. Annie also taught thousands of women to shoot before a car accident ended her career and she was forced back into retirement. She died in 1926 at the age of 66. Frank died 18 days later. While he had been in declining health for some time, family and friends were convinced he died of a broken heart. They are buried side by side in Greenville, OH not far from where any grew up.
10 comments
drtunde7700
Do you know that Herpes (HSV) has a cure?
My name is Dr. Tunde Francis, I’m a traditional Herbal Medicine Doctor. I specialize in treating all kinds of diseases and infections using Herbs and Roots. My Major areas of concentration are Shexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). I have the Herbal Cure for Herpes (HSV). I have treated more than 165 patients that have Herpes (HSV 2) and all of them were cured. My herbal medicine is 100% safe, there are no side effects and You will start seeing clear results as early as 7 days. You can reach me on Phone [ +2348029666702 ].
I also treat other infections, like Human papillomavirus (HPV), Hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Diabetes, Leukemia, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Autism, insomnia (Herbal Medicines to stop insomnia & give you good night sleep), Fibroids, Infertility, Overweight (Obesity) and Alzheimer and other deadly infections. My herbal Cure for Obesity is very effective, you can lose as much as 10KG in 21 days with my herbs. If you have been taking conventional medicines for that Herpes infection and you are still having those re-occuring outbreaks, why don’t you try Herbal Medicines and see it get cured in weeks. For more information, send me an E-mail [ dr.tundeherbalmedicines@gmail.com ]
Visit my website: https://www.tundeherbalmedicine.com
Harris Thomas
“In the crypto world, this is great news I want to share. Last year, I fell victim to a scam disguised as a safe investment option. I have invested in crypto trading platforms for about 10yrs thinking I was ensuring myself a retirement income, only to find that all my assets were either frozen, I believed my assets were secure — until I discovered that my BTC funds had been frozen and withdrawals were impossible. It was a devastating moment when I realized I had been scammed, and I thought my Bitcoin was gone forever, Everything changed when a close friend recommended the Capital Crypto Recover Service. Their professionalism, expertise, and dedication enabled me to recover my lost Bitcoin funds back — more than €560.000 DEM to my BTC wallet. What once felt impossible became a reality thanks to their support. If you have lost Bitcoin through scams, hacking, failed withdrawals, or similar challenges, don’t lose hope. I strongly recommend Capital Crypto Recover Service to anyone seeking a reliable and effective solution for recovering any wallet assets. They have a proven track record of successful reputation in recovering lost password assets for their clients and can help you navigate the process of recovering your funds. Don’t let scammers get away with your hard-earned money – contact Email: Recoverycapital@fastservice.com
Phone CALL/Text Number: +1 (336) 390-6684 Contact: Capitalcryptorecover@zohomail.com
Website: https://recovercapital.wixsite.com/capital-crypto-rec-1
Harris Thomas
“In the crypto world, this is great news I want to share. Last year, I fell victim to a scam disguised as a safe investment option. I have invested in crypto trading platforms for about 10yrs thinking I was ensuring myself a retirement income, only to find that all my assets were either frozen, I believed my assets were secure — until I discovered that my BTC funds had been frozen and withdrawals were impossible. It was a devastating moment when I realized I had been scammed, and I thought my Bitcoin was gone forever, Everything changed when a close friend recommended the Capital Crypto Recover Service. Their professionalism, expertise, and dedication enabled me to recover my lost Bitcoin funds back — more than €560.000 DEM to my BTC wallet. What once felt impossible became a reality thanks to their support. If you have lost Bitcoin through scams, hacking, failed withdrawals, or similar challenges, don’t lose hope. I strongly recommend Capital Crypto Recover Service to anyone seeking a reliable and effective solution for recovering any wallet assets. They have a proven track record of successful reputation in recovering lost password assets for their clients and can help you navigate the process of recovering your funds. Don’t let scammers get away with your hard-earned money – contact Email: Recoverycapital@fastservice.com
Phone CALL/Text Number: +1 (336) 390-6684 Contact: Capitalcryptorecover@zohomail.com
Website: https://recovercapital.wixsite.com/capital-crypto-rec-1
Rollins Fried
HOW I GOT MY BITCOIN BACK // WITH THE HELP OF GEO COORDINATES RECOVERY HACKER
I was recently scammed out of $468,000 by a fraudulent Bitcoin investment. This special group of professional GEO COORDINATES RECOVERY HACKER was able to recover my money within 12hours. I’m really glad such a group exists and I’m happily sharing this out there with anyone who needs their service to recover their money. You can contact them at
Email: geovcoordinateshacker@gmail.com
Website; https://geovcoordinateshac.wixsite.com/geo-coordinates-hack
It was such a huge relief for me and I’m so grateful
Morgan
With so much in my heart I am here to express myself on how Priest Salami saved my marriage from divorce. Myself and my husband were having some misunderstanding and it was tearing our marriage apart to the extent my husband was seeking a divorce. So I have no option other than to go to the internet to seek a solution to my problem. It was there I came across Priest Salami details and about how he has helped a lot of people by restoring their relationship. I contacted Priest Salami and in less than 48 hours my husband cancelled the divorce papers. Now myself and my husband live together in peace and harmony all thanks to Priest Salami for saving my marriage from breaking up. Priest Salami contact information are via email: purenaturalhealer@gmail.com. Whatsapp number: +2348143757229
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.