Annie Oakley: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

Annie Oakley was a renowned markswoman and star who worked for years with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Annie was born as Phoebe Ann Moses on August 13, 1860, in Darke County, Ohio. She would be known as Annie Oakley for her developed excellent marksmanship abilities as a teen, earning enough to pay off the mortgage for her mother's home. She then married fellow marksman Frank Butler in 1876 and would later become a star attraction for Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show for years, famous for unparalleled shooting tricks. Both Moses’ father and stepfather died when she was a child, then went to live at the Darke County Infirmary, where she received schooling and sewing instruction while helping in the care of orphaned children. She then returned
to living with her mother and her second stepfather in her early teens, when she was able to help the family by hunting wild mammals or birds for a grocery store. She earned so much from her skills that by the time she was 15, Moses was able to pay off the mortgage on her mother's home. After beating him in a 1875 Thanksgiving shooting competition, the following year, Moses married Frank E. Butler, a top shooter and vaudeville performer. The two embarked on the union that would last more than half a century. They began working together professionally in 1882, after Butlers male partner fell ill and moses took his place. She took on the stage name Oakley, believed to be taken from a Cincinnati locale. Annie Oakley met Native-American leader Sitting Bull in 1884, and he was so impressed with her manner and abilities that he ¨adopted¨ her and bestowed upon her the additional name ¨Little Sure Shot¨.
Oakley and Butler then joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in 1885. The couple toured the show for more than 10 and a half years, with Annie receiving the spotlight and top billing while Frank worked as her manager, assisting Annie with her stunning displays of
marksmanship. Audiences were very impressed that she could shoot off the end on a cigarette held in her husbands lips, hit the thin edge of a playing card from 30 paces and shoot distant targets while looking into a mirror.
She would also shoot holes through cards thrown into the air before they landed, inspiring the practice of punching holes in a free event ticket being referred to as an “Annie Oakley.” Oakley even entertained such royals as Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm II, and shot a cigarette out of the kaiser’s mouth. After Annie and Frank were in a railroad accident in 1901, she was partially paralyzed for a time, yet hse recovered and continued to perform. She did stage work and joined the Young Buffalo show in 1911. Oakley and Butler retired in 1913, settling in cambridge Maryland, and adopting a dog, Dave, who would become part of their later shows. Oakley was a top earner for the Wild West Show and via her additional exhibition work, sharing money with her extended family and giving donations to charities for orphans. During World War I, Annie volunteered to organize a regiment of female sharpshooters. However her petition was ignored, so instead she helped raise money for the Red Cross with exhibition work at Army camps. During her retirement, she pursued such hobbies as hunting and fishing, and taught marksmanship to other women. Annie Oakley died on November 3, 1926, in Greenville, Ohio. The news of her death saddened the nation and brought forth a wave of
tributes.

Works Cited
“Annie Oakley.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/annie-oakley-9426141. centerofthewest.org/explore/buffalo-bill/research/annie-oakley/. truewestmagazine.com/tag/annie-oakley/. www.heritagemalta.org/annie-oakley-bio.html. www.heritagemalta.org/annie-oakley-medals.html.
www.thinglink.com/scene/714163966233804800.