From her sharpshooting to her activism, these Annie Oakley facts reveal how she defied the odds to rule the Wild West.
Annie Oakley stands in the dirt arena for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show at Ambrose Park in Brooklyn, New York in 1894.
Throughout the often violent history of the Wild West, few women are remembered as the stars of the show. That is, with the exception of professional sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
Presenting herself as harmless and coy, Annie Oakley was “America’s Sweetheart” with a big gun and deadly aim. She had overcome a difficult childhood marked by poverty and abuse to become one of the most famous sharpshooters in history.
Best known for her performances in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, Oakley continued setting shooting records until her death in 1926. She advocated for women’s rights, taught thousands of women to shoot, and offered her skills to the U.S. military during the Spanish-American War.
Today, she has become an American legend.
The Early Life Of Annie Oakley
Ohio History Connection Annie Oalkey's childhood home in Darke County, Ohio.
Born Phoebe Ann Mosey to Quakers in rural Ohio on August 13, 1860, Annie Oakley endured a rough childhood in which her father died of pneumonia, leaving her mother then unable to support the rest of her six siblings. Oakley was then sent to the Darke County Infirmary for the poor before being shipped to an abusive family she later referred to as "the wolves."
The family treated Oakley as if she were a slave and even reportedly locked her out of the house during snowstorms. However, at the age of 12, she ran away and landed back in the infirmary for a short time before reuniting with her mother.
All the while, Annie Oakley's rough childhood put her in a position to fend for herself and learn how to trap and, moreover, how to shoot.
Since she was 8 years old, Oakley had hunted wild game with her father's guns. She grew into a confident trapper and hunter, supporting her family through her skill and effort. She later supplied local restaurants with the animals she hunted.
Oakley's reputation for astounding feats of marksmanship soon spread throughout the region and she was able to earn money killing game. She even claimed she was able to earn enough to pay off the family farm.
Soon, Oakley's reputation attracted the attention of traveling sharpshooting acts.
Oakley Begins Her Fruitful Career As A Sharpshooter
Public Domain Frank Butler, marksman and husband of Annie Oakley.
On Thanksgiving Day 1875, Oakley bested famous marksman Frank Butler in a shooting match, cementing her lofty status.
Instead of being angry or jealous, Butler was impressed with the then 15-year-old Oakley. Soon, the couple began courting.
Butler and Oakley married just a year later, settled in Cincinnati, and eventually joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1885. Oakley, as she was now calling herself, then saw her shooting career grow to even greater heights, and the rest is history.
Historians are still unsure why she chose the name Oakley, but some believe it stemmed from the name of her neighborhood in Cincinnati, or the name of a kind gentleman who gave her money and a train ticket home when she was being abused by "the wolves."
While performing for Buffalo Bill, Oakley also earned the name "Watanya Cicilla" or "Little Sure Shot" by fellow performer Sitting Bull.
Wikimedia CommonsOakley reading at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.
During the Paris Expedition of 1899, Annie Oakley showed off her skills and gained a new level of notoriety as America's first female star. She did have critics, especially those who believed women were not meant to be marksmen:
"When a man hits a target, they call him a marksman. When I hit a target, they call it a trick. Never did like that much."
Her popularity earned her a hefty salary and the ability to perform in front of the world's elite, including Queen Victoria and King Umberto I of Italy. She even reportedly shot the ashes off the cigarette of German Kaiser Wilhelm II as he smoked.
Oakley even appeared in some of the earliest films. On November 1, 1894, Oakley and other members of Buffalo Bill's group filmed a 21-second movie in a studio owned by Thomas Edison.
Annie Oakley's remarkable skill made her an international celebrity, but she was determined to do more than just entertain—she wanted to use her talents for a greater purpose.
Life And Scandal In The Midst Of World War I
After returning from Europe, Annie Oakley and Frank Butler settled down in New Jersey. Then, when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Oakley seized another opportunity to put her skillset to good use.
That year, she wrote President William McKinley offering her services in the war. She also suggested creating a company of 50 female sharpshooters. Oakley later wrote about her request:
"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."
While Oakley's proposal was not accepted, Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders were named in honor of her show, "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World."
National Park Service President Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders.
In 1901, Oakley was badly injured in an accident and was forced to leave the Buffalo Bill Show. She chose to pursue acting instead, appearing in plays as a pistol-wielding heroine.
In 1904, Oakley was rocked by a major scandal after newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst published a false story that Oakley had been arrested for theft in order to pay for her cocaine habit.
The story was completely false, and Oakley quickly sued 55 newspapers that circulated the story. She won 54 of her libel suits, winning thousands of dollars that were used in their entirety to pay her legal fees.
The Death Of An American Legend
Annie Oakley in 1922.
The later years of Annie Oakley's life were just as exciting as her younger, gun-slinging days. Both she and Butler stayed in the public eye throughout the early 1900s.
When World War I broke out, Butler wrote to the Kaiser that his wife wanted to repeat her shot. Unfortunately, the Kaiser never responded.
Oakley continued to compete in shooting events, setting records well into her sixties. In her free time, Oakley advocated for women's rights.
Throughout her career, Oakley taught over 15,000 women how to use a gun. She would later tell the press:
"I would like to see every woman know how to handle guns, as naturally as they know how to handle babies."
Oakley parlayed her gift for handling and firing guns into a career while serving as an inspiration for women who scoffed at traditional pioneer roles.
The fiery sharpshooter continued her work until her sudden death on November 3, 1926. She died in Greenville, Ohio at the age of 66. Tragically, Frank Butler, in his grief, refused to eat following his wife's death and died 18 days later from starvation. The couple is buried together at Brock Cemetery in Ohio.
Today, Annie Oakley's legacy as a cultural icon lives on, with films, books, and even a well-known Broadway musical all dedicated to the huge impression that she left on United States history.
After this look at Annie Oakley, read up on Calamity Jane. Then, check out some captivating photos of life in the Wild West. Then, read up on the era's largely-forgotten black cowboys.
