Annie Oakley: The Woman and the Legend
In an era when opportunities for women were limited, Annie Oakley's amazing ability with a gun proved that a woman could do just as well (or even better) than a man, even in traditionally "masculine fields" like shooting. Through talent and hard work, she rose from a childhood of poverty to become a role model for women, and one of the world's first superstars.
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley: Timeline
- Annie Oakley
- Annie's Motto
- The Early Years
- Life among the Wolves
- The Darke County Infirmary
- Target Shooting: The new Spectator Sport
- Frank Butler
- An Unexpected Debut
- Little Sure Shot
- Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley
- Buffalo Bill Cody
- Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show Conquers Europe
- Ladies First
- The Legacy Lives on
- Who is your favorite person in history?
- About the Author
- Resources used to construct this page.
- Love This Lens?
Annie's Motto
Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, nor the second and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you'll hit the Bull's-Eye of Success.
The Early Years
Phoebe Ann Mosey was born on August 13, 1860, in her family's log cabin in Darke County, Ohio. Annie, as she was called almost from the start, was the sixth of their seven children. Her parents, Jacob and Sarah Mosey moved to Ohio from Pennsylvania when a fire burned down their tavern, their only means of support. Like most pioneers of the time, their goals were simple; farm their own land and lead a quiet, independent life.Annie was a dutiful daughter. She helped her mother with household chores in the kitchen and garden, but her real love, even at an early age, was the outdoors. God intended women to be outside as well as men, and they do not know what they are missing when they stay cooped up in the house. Trotting along behind her father, Annie learned to make and bait simple traps to catch small game.
Tragedy struck in December of 1866. On a return trip from town, Jacob was caught in a blizzard. He made it home, but suffered from exposure and frostbite. He died of pneumonia a few weeks later. Sarah kept the family together the only way she knew how, by remarrying. When her second husband died leaving her with yet another child, the burden was too much to bear. Even with Annie now hunting and bringing in game, Sarah couldn't afford to feed her family. Eight-year-old Annie was sent to live at the Darke County Infirmary, commonly referred to as The Poor Farm.
Life among the Wolves
Not long after Annie arrived at the infirmary, she was lent out to a local farmer. His wife had just had a baby and they needed help. In return they would teach Annie to read and write, and send money to her family.Annie soon learned that the farmer and his wife were as she put it, wolves in sheep's clothing. She worked from before sunup to well after dark every night. Her education was an illusion. They treated her like a slave and routinely beat her if she didn't work fast enough. At one point she was thrown out into the snow and left to freeze. They brought her back inside once they realized that they would have trouble securing another girl if Annie died.
By the time Annie was 12, she couldn't take it anymore. She gathered her belongings and snuck out. Her mother lived many miles away, but Annie had no money for train fare. Fortunately a kindly man took pity on her and paid her fare. Annie never forgot that. Years after the incident she would say, "I pray to God each night to keep the good man that helped me get away from the wolves."
Annie rarely talked about her time with The Wolves and never revealed their name. We are left wondering what really happened. Did they treat even worse than she let on?
The Darke County Infirmary
Annie returned home only to discover her mother had married again. She liked Joseph Shaw, but both her mother and Joseph were in poor health and struggling to feed the rest of the family. They couldn't afford to take in another child. Annie was sent back to the infirmary.The Edingtons were kind people and treated Annie like family. She was finally given the opportunity to learn to read and write. Nancy Edington also taught Annie to sew, knit and embroider. They were important skills in an era were women were still expected to make and repair their family's clothes.
Annie spent about 3 years living with the Edingtons. Her time there influenced her adult personality. Although she had a rough childhood, in the infirmary she lived among people whose lives were even harder. Throughout her life Annie always gave generously to charity, especially those that made children's lives better. She would frequently give free tickets to her show to children, especially orphans, and then take them out for ice cream afterwards.
At the age of 15 Annie left the infirmary. It was time to make her way in the world. On her way to her mother's, she stopped by a mercantile and asked the owners if they bought game from local hunters. They knew Annie's reputation with a gun and readily agreed to buy hers. From that point on Annie made her living with a gun.
The shotgun is a smooth-bore weapon that fires pellets know as buckshot. It is less accurate than a rifle, but good for shooting game at close range.
Target Shooting: The new Spectator Sport
While Annie earned a reputation among her neighbors as a crack shot, target shooting was becoming a major sport in America. Thousands of people flocked to shooting ranges to watch "exhibition" shooters firing at paper targets or blasting glass balls out of the air. Top marksmen like W.F. "Doc" Carver and Adam Bogardus were big celebrities.Changes in gun technology pushed the sport into the limelight. Before 1860 most guns were single shot but the new "repeating rifles" could be fired several times before reloading was necessary.
"Trick" or "fancy" shooting was also gaining popularity. Usually working in 2 man teams, trick shooters entertained audiences by shooting pieces of fruit out of one another's hands, off the top of their heads, shooting out candle flames, blasting the corks out of bottles, and shooting over their shoulders using mirrors to aim.
Shooting wasn't just a spectator sport. Gun clubs were formed. Trap-shooting, rifle and pistol ranges sprang up all over the country. "Turkey shoots" and other competitions were a popular pastime.
Annie competed in several local competitions until the local men banned her. She consistently walked away with the prize. It took the fun out of it for the rest of them, but in 1881 Annie entered a shooting match that would change her life forever.
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Frank Butler
Frank Butler had a reputation as a skilled sharpshooter and Vaudeville performer. He traveled from town to town with a group of shooters, challenging local marksmen to a competition. He wasn't beneath bragging about his skills. He claimed that he could outshoot anyone.When the group arrived in Cincinnati in 1875 Annie accepted the challenge. Just 15 years-old at the time, Annie matched him shot-for-shot for 24 shots. She took the prize when Frank missed the twenty-fifth shot. Annie won the match and Frank's heart.
After marrying, Annie became Frank's assistant in his traveling shooting act. Recognizing that Annie was far more talented than he was, Frank relinquished the limelight to Annie. He became her assistant and personal manager.
Frank devoted his life to his wife. After the pair retired in 1901, Frank became a representative for the Union Metallic Cartridge Company. It allowed them the freedom to travel to exhibitions and run his gun club in North Carolina.
An Unexpected Debut
Annie debut on stage was an unplanned event. When Frank's partner John Graham fell ill, he needed another body on stage. Annie's job was to simply hold the objects while Frank did the shooting. What prompted Annie to pick up the gun that night is unclear. According to one story, a man in the audience shouted out "Let the girl shoot!" when Frank missed several shots.When Annie started shooting, the crowd went wild. There was something appealing about the sight of this small, young woman hefting a big gun and knocking down target after target. When she left the stage, Annie kicked her foot back at the audience. The girlish action would become one of her signature moves for the rest of her career.
The couple traveled around the country performing under the name "Butler & Oakley." How Annie chose the name Oakley is still debated. There was a town near Cincinnati by that name. She may have simply liked the sound of it. Others speculate that it was the name of the kindly man who had paid her train fare when she escaped from The Wolves. Still others believe that it was her grandmother's maiden name. When off stage Annie referred to herself as Mrs. Butler, but from the moment she stepped on stage, the world knew her as Annie Oakley.
Little Sure Shot
The next few years were hard but happy ones for Frank and Annie. They performed in concert halls, theaters, and open fields. They stayed in cheap hotels and caught naps on the hard-backed seats on the train as they traveled from one town to the next. Along with George, their poodle, they crisscrossed the country time and again. They would occasionally join up with a circus, but circus and Vaudeville performers had a reputation for wild drinking and loose morals. Frank and Annie didn't fit in with the crowd.In March of 1884, Frank and Annie were performing in St. Paul Minnesota. Sitting Bull, a legend in his own right, was in the audience. When they met, Sitting Bull gave Annie the nickname Watanya Cecila which means Little Sure Shot is Lakota. They soon became fast friends.
Ever one to capitalize on an opportunity, Frank placed an advertisement in the New York City Paper proclaiming that "the premier shots, Butler and Oakley" had been "captured" by Sitting Bull.
Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley
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Buffalo Bill Cody
The first time Frank and Annie approached Wild Bill with a request to join his show, they were turned down. Buffalo Bill Cody had plenty of shooting acts, and female shooters more famous than Annie. Disappointed, they returned to the Vaudeville circuit.The opportunity presented itself again a few months later. There were a lot of traveling shows and Vaudeville acts. Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show had not yet proven itself. That along with the cost of transporting animals and performers, and simple bad luck left the show in dire financial straights.
Although Buffalo Bill's show was on the verge of bankruptcy, Annie preferred it over the Vaudeville theaters with their female dancers, alcohol and shows featuring dirty jokes and stories. Buffalo Bill's intent was to develop a "clean show" with family appeal.
There was also her reputation as a shooter to consider. Many shooting acts were simply stage trickery. The candles were snuffed out, apples split, and matches lit by hidden devises rather than expert shooting. The dimly stages in the Vaudeville theaters made such trickery easy. Annie wanted no part of it. With Buffalo Bill's show she performed under a simple canvas tent in broad daylight. Her reputation as a shooter wouldn't be questioned.
With its humble start, Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill's working relationship lasted nearly 20 years. It wasn't always a smooth business relationship. Cody liked to drink and had an eye for the ladies. Through it all they came to liking and respecting each other. They remained friends up until Cody's death in 1917.
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show Conquers Europe
On Mar 31, 1887 Buffalo Bill's troupe, animals included, boarded a steamship and set out across the Atlantic. The Wild West Show was a part of the "American Exhibition" which was in turn a part of a big fair celebrating the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign.Londoners and people from all over England clamored for tickets. They wanted a glimpse of America's Wild West, at least Buffalo Bill's version of it. In the six months they performed in England, over 2.5 million people saw the show.
"The loudest applause of the night is reserved for Miss Annie Oakley, because her shooting entertainment is clever, precise, and dramatic."
Ladies First
During her travels with Buffalo Bill's show, Annie had an opportunity to meet many famous people, including Edward, Prince of Wales (heir to the British throne), and his wife Princess Alexandra. According to tradition, anyone meeting the royal couple was supposed to greet the prince first. Annie made a point of shaking Princess Alexandra's hand first. "You'll have to excuse me, please," Annie told the Prince, "because I am an American and in America, ladies come first." Annie Oakley: The Woman and the Legend
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The Colonel and Little Missie: Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and the Beginnings of Superstardom in America (includes 16 pages of B&W photographs)
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Annie Oakley: Young Markswoman (Childhood of Famous Americans)
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Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bills Wild West
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The Legacy Lives on
In 1926, after 50 happy years of marriage, Annie and Frank Butler died. Annie died on November 3 and Frank 18 days later. They lived a long, productive and adventuresome life. Annie set an example for women and helped change public opinion regarding a woman's place in society. She argued for a woman's right to bear arms, both for sport and for self-defense. She personally coached over 2,000 women in firearm safety and shooting. When World War I broke out, Annie and Frank traveled up and down the East Coast demonstrating safe and effective use of firearms to the soldiers.Annie's philanthropic work was quietly done. She helped orphans and widows gain an education with both benefit exhibitions and personal contributions. Through the years she funded college and professional training for many young women.
Annie Oakley died in 1926 but her legacy lives on. This quiet back-country girl was a pioneer in woman's rights, not by standing on a soapbox and expounding on her beliefs, but by hard work and perseverance. "Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, nor the second and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you'll hit the Bull's-Eye of Success."
Who is your favorite person in history?
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- Artemus-Gordon Artemus-Gordon Nov 5, 2009 @ 11:39 am
- I had not heard all of Annie's like story before. The early years were especially tough for this young girl.
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- AndyPo AndyPo May 28, 2009 @ 11:05 am
- Great lens. Very interesting
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- Lori_Lee-Ray Lori_Lee-Ray May 17, 2009 @ 12:29 am
- good job! this was fascinating to read. I lensrolled it!
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- tdove tdove Jan 19, 2009 @ 8:05 pm
- Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!
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- lou16 lou16 Nov 29, 2008 @ 5:14 am
- This is a wonderful lens, I didn't know anything about Annies upbringing, only of her adult life.
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About the Author
Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 3,989 lenses, favorited 445, and has created 200 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "The Mallard Duck". See all my lenses
Resources used to construct this page.
Gilbert, S., 2006. Annie Oakley. Creative Education, Mankato, MN.
Kasper, S., 1992. Annie Oakley. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, Oklahoma
Riley, G. 1994. The Life and Legacy of Annie Oakley. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, Oklahoma.
Willis, C., 2007. Annie Oakley, A photographic story of a life. Dk Publishing, London.
The Annie Oakley Foundation
Cowgals on the Web
Annie Oakley biography, Women in History
Kasper, S., 1992. Annie Oakley. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, Oklahoma
Riley, G. 1994. The Life and Legacy of Annie Oakley. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, Oklahoma.
Willis, C., 2007. Annie Oakley, A photographic story of a life. Dk Publishing, London.
The Annie Oakley Foundation
Cowgals on the Web
Annie Oakley biography, Women in History
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