Here’s a familiar face, Annie Oakley was one of the most well-known shooters in the Wild West, and she also happens to be a woman. Annie rose to fame at the tender age of 15 years old because of her sharpshooting skills. Did you know that Annie Oakley was not her real name? She was born Phoebe Ann Mosey. By age 8, she started hunting, shooting, and trapping to support her family through hard times after her father passed away.
Oakley made a name for herself as a trained shooter as well. She married Frank E. Butler, who just happened to be her former rival and fellow marksman. Later on, the couple joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, which turned her into an international star. Definitely one woman with a lot of talent!
Olive Ann Oatman
Are you wondering who the woman in the photo is? This rare image shows Olive Ann Oatman. Her family was captured and killed in 1851. Her family was originally from Illinois. When she was fourteen, she and her sister were captured by a present-day Arizona Native American Tribe called the Tolkepayas and later sold the girls to another tribe called the Mohave People. Her sister died of hunger after a few years with the Mohave. Luckily for her, she was able to return to American Society after spending five years imprisoned with the Mohave.
Later on, her tale was retold dramatically in the press in her own “memoir” through speeches, novels, plays, movies, and poetry. Many people still do not know what really happened to her while she was imprisoned, but the tattoos that you see on her face? Those were put on her by the Mohave, which sparked a media story long after her imprisonment.
Jimmy Mckinn Santiago
The Wild West would not be complete without Indians! The photo you see here is of Jimmy Mckinn Santiago. Mckinn lived with his family in the Lower Mimbres Valley in New Mexico. He was around 11 or 12 when he was abducted by a group of Chiricahua Apache Led by Geronimo. Mckinn was with his brother Martin at the time when the group approached them. Unfortunately, the Apache killed his brother, which left him grief-stricken as they took him away. We know, it seems like a lot to experience for a young boy!
Luckily, he was rescued by General George Crook, but surprisingly he did not want to go back with the General anymore, instead, he wanted to stay with Apache. This photo shows him living with his captors for six months, where he learned how to speak their language and learn about their lifestyle.
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
You’ve seen the name Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show through most of these photos. Are you starting to wonder what kind of show it was? This show has been one of the most influential, with only the best showmen ever. The show has had a reputation for being “wild” all throughout the Old West.
But who is Bill? Buffalo Bill was a scout and a bison hunter. He was never out in the wild, but he was working on this show. These shows were usually a series of traveling shows that romanticized American frontier life. The acts included reenacting, and a wide variety of other acts, one of their most popular was the Incident of Warbonnet Creek, a parade, and many other circus-like acts. You’d never get bored with these shows because there was always something for everyone.
Rose Dunn
Another woman on our list is Rose Dunn. Like the others, she was also considered a western legend back in her time. At age 15, Rose Dunn, otherwise known as Cimarron, was romantically involved with an outlaw named George “Bittercreek” Newcomb. Everyone in Newcomb’s gang loved her looks and cool demeanor. Let’s face it; she is a looker, after all!
The gang, along with Dunn, went into hiding after a shootout with the US marshals. Eventually, Newcomb and another gang member returned to visit Dunn, and her brothers shot them on-site. Dunn’s brothers collected a $5,000 bounty for Newcomb because he was wanted dead or alive. According to legend, Dunn had tried to set him up, but like most things in the Old West, it is still a mystery.