Martha Jane Cannary--and a Giveaway

May 1^st marked the birthday of a woman by the name of Martha Jane Cannary—eldest child of a gambler father and a prostitute mother. She had two brothers and three sisters. As the family traveled from Martha Jane’s birthplace in Missouri to Virginia City, Montana, her mother fell ill with pneumonia and died. A year later, her father also succumbed to death, leaving Martha Jane, who was just fourteen years old at the time, to take charge of her five younger siblings and support her family. The six siblings settled in Piedmont, Wyoming, where Martha Jane took whatever jobs she could find—from dishwasher, to waitress, to nurse, to ox team driver, to sometimes prostitute. She would have turned 167 this year.

Why am I telling you about an obscure woman who died long ago?

Because she is better known as “Calamity Jane”—and she is also the historic western figure who I loosely based my heroine on in Taming Petra, one of four stories from the novella collection titled Cameo Courtships.

The Real Calamity Jane: Fact or Myth?

Calamity Jane in her buckskin trousers
and jacket, carrying a Sharps rifle.

Calamity Jane is a larger-than-life western figure who is said to have been a whiskey-swilling army scout, Indian fighter, and sharpshooter, a contemporary of Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody. Her biography is littered with fantastical stories of great exploits, though many are questioned for their factualness. For instance, Calamity Jane once said that her nickname came about in this way:

It was during this campaign [in 1872–73] that I was christened Calamity Jane. It was on Goose Creek, Wyoming, where the town of Sheridan is now located. Capt. Egan was in command of the Post. We were ordered out to quell an uprising of the Indians, and were out for several days, had numerous skirmishes during which six of the soldiers were killed and several severely wounded. When on returning to the Post we were ambushed about a mile and a half from our destination. When fired upon, Capt. Egan was shot. I was riding in advance and on hearing the firing turned in my saddle and saw the Captain reeling in his saddle as though about to fall. I turned my horse and galloped back with all haste to his side and got there in time to catch him as he was falling. I lifted him onto my horse in front of me and succeeded in getting him safely to the Fort. Capt. Egan on recovering, laughingly said: "I name you Calamity Jane, the heroine of the plains." I have borne that name up to the present time.

~Excerpted from “Life and Adventures of

Calamity Jane” by Martha Cannary Burke

Many disputed the claim above as untrue, even before it was dictated into the promotional pamphlet from which it was taken (Jane was functionally illiterate, so others had to write for her). Some folks went so far as to say that she never saw a day of service with the US Army, so the veracity of the claim falls in great question. Another claim of how the moniker came to be associated with this woman is due to her threat to men that if they crossed her, they were courting calamity.

Calamity Jane

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok

  

Another area where people have cried foul is in her association with James Butler Hickok. Some sources say she first became acquainted with Wild Bill somewhere in the early 1870s and rode into the Deadwood, South Dakota, on his wagon train in 1875. Others say she rode into the area with the Army in 1875 and met Wild Bill in Deadwood soon after. She claims to have had a relationship with Hickok and was even married to him in 1873, and that the pair had a daughter who was later given up for adoption. To date, no one has found official records of a marriage between Calamity Jane and Hickok—and others have gone so far as to say that Hickok had no use for the woman. A woman, Jean Hickok Burkardt McCormick, did present herself in the 1940s, touting herself to be the legal offspring of Jane and Wild Bill—but her claims were soundly refuted. James Butler Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried next to each other in Mount Moriah Cemetery, South Dakota, but even that is cause for dispute. Not the location of their burial plots, but the reasons they are buried in adjoining spaces. Some say Jane was laid to rest next to Hickok because of the great love they shared. Others rumor that it was only because those around her in her last moments chose to grant Jane’s final wish. Still others have circulated the idea that their close proximity was one last joke played on Hickok, forcing him to lie next to the woman he couldn’t abide in life even in his death.

Calamity Jane visiting the gravesite of Wild Bill Hickok in the 1890s.

Despite the many discrepancies surrounding the true-life figure of Calamity Jane, there are some points of her character which aren’t so disputed.

·     She was known to wear men’s trousers, surely adding to the outrageousness of her persona.

·     She was said to have had a kind and generous spirit, often helping the sick and poor she came across.

·     Whether she did all the outlandish things claimed by others, as well as herself, she was well liked in the west, for the most part.

It’s Your Turn: Do you believe Calamity Jane was all she is reported to have been—army scout, Indian fighter, sharpshooter, angel of mercy for the poor and sick, and more? Or do you believe her to be just another larger-than-life western figure whose reputation has grown into the stuff of tall tales and myth? If the latter, does it bother you that she is touted as an “Old West Hero” even today? Leave your answer, including your email address, for the opportunity to win a signed paperback copy of Cameo Courtships.

Jennifer Uhlarikdiscovered the western genre as a pre-teen when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has finaled and won in numerous writing competitions, and been on the ECPA best-seller list numerous times. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers, Women Writing the West, and is a lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, college-aged son, and four fur children.

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Cameo Courtships

by Susanne Dietze, Debra E. Marvin, Jennifer Uhlarik, and Kathleen Y'Barbo

A Family Heirloom Inspires Romance
In 1851, a special cameo is gifted by Queen Victoria to Letitia Newton, who though considered an old maid, meets the perfect gentleman minutes after donning. Told by the Queen the cameo is to be shared, Letitia gifts the "Victoria Cameo" to a woman in her family, hoping adventure and romance will follow each of its subsequent wearers.

PINNED ABOVE HER HEART by Susanne Dietze
1851 – Pittsburgh, PA
After receiving the Victoria Cameo, aspiring journalist Clara Newton works to expose a smuggler, but reporter Byron Breaux must break the story first or lose his job. Working together is out of the question until they learn secrets that threaten Clara’s father. . .and her heart.

TAMING PETRA by Jennifer Uhlarik
1875 – Colorado Territory
Trouser-wearing frontierswoman Petra Jayne Hollingsworth has no intention of donning the heirloom cameo, but when a crooked brothel owner steals the treasure, securing its return becomes Petra’s highest priority. Assisting her, Reverend Dustin Owens is appalled to learn the price of its ransom is that Petra must work in the brothel. He may save the woman’s virtue, but can he help Petra regain her cameo and rediscover her faith?

MEET ME AT THE FAIR by Kathleen Y’Barbo
Spring 1885 – New Orleans during the 1884 World’s Fair and Cotton Exposition
It takes a Pinkerton to find a Pinkerton, and Ethan Butler has been charged with finding Elizabeth Newton. Just when he locates her, the cameo he is to deliver is stolen. It appears his previous case has discovered his presence in New Orleans, but he can’t return to that case until the cameo is found. With Miss Newton as a reluctant partner in crime fighting, can Ethan Butler locate the cameo and its thieves without losing his heart?

LENDING MY HEART by Debra E. Marvin
1895 – Pittsburgh, PA
The arrival of a handsome Scottish administrator ruins Miss Bertie Hart’s dream to oversee the new Carnegie Library children’s department. Yet bristly Mr. Russell Smart’s working-class determination and his love of books make him the perfect partner to better the lives of Pittsburgh’s poor. As for a partner in life? Not even her Victoria Cameo can narrow the social chasm he and her father keep between them.

How Tall Were Our Historical Heroes?

This past week, I watched an interesting show on National Geographic Channel about one married couple’s attempts to authenticate an old tintype photograph they’d bought which they believed to depict Billy The Kid and a few of the Regulators playing, of all things, croquet. Perhaps you’ve heard stories about this “new discovery” (a few years old now)—or even watched the show. I won’t take the time to rehash the details in the 2-hour episode. Nor is my intent to debate whether the photograph truly doesdepict these famous figures out of Old West lore. There is debate about the validity of the claim. So if you’d like to read a detailed account of whether this photograph truly is “the real McCoy” in Billy The Kid memorabilia, please look at the thorough article done by True West Magazine. 

Old Tintype photograph that is rumored to depict Billy The Kid
and several of the Regulators

I found many of the details presented in the show to be a fascinating view into how one goes about authenticating antiques and other memorabilia. One such detail was how the facial recognition specialist hired to compare the new image to the only known one of William Bonney, then used the croquet mallet held by the supposed “Billy” to figure the man’s height. (Just a note, in the above-referenced article, they poke holes in the specialist’s assertion that there was a standard length for croquet mallets in that time period, so his math could be wrong). But, regardless, I found it interesting to see them estimate the supposed “Billy” figure’s height to be 5’8” tall, which, lo and behold, is the height recorded for the real Billy The Kid in history.

Close-up of the "Billy" figure, holding a
croquet mallet.

Hmmm. Billy The Kid was just 5’8”? He wasn’t much taller than me. Certainly not a very imposing figure for such a notorious outlaw. This got me to wondering about other historic figures and how tall they were. As is often the case, when I get curious, you get to benefit from my questions.

So how tall were the people from our past?

The general who led us through the Revolutionary War and who later become the first President of the United States, George Washington, stood at 6’2” tall. His wife, Martha, was a mere 5’ tall.

Martha and George Washington

Our 16^thPresident, Abraham Lincoln, was the tallest of our nation’s leaders, topping the height scale at 6’4” tall. His wife Mary Todd Lincoln, was another slight-of-stature woman at 5’2”.

Mary Todd Lincoln and President Abraham Lincoln

Interestingly, our shortest president was the fourth, James Madison, who stood only 5’4” tall, but was “dwarfed” by his above-average wife, Dolley, who stood 5’7” tall.

President James Madison and his tall wife Dolley.

General Robert E. Lee, who led the Confederate Army during the Civil War, stood 5’8” tall.

General Robert E. Lee

General Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union forces in the same war—then went on to become our 18^thpresident—also topped out at 5’8”. 

General Ulysses S. Grant

Famed Old West lawman Wyatt Earp stood 6’ tall.

Lawman Wyatt Earp

Wild Bill Hickok, who worked many jobs in the Old West, including soldier, spy, wagon master, lawman, gunfighter, and actor, among other things, had a height of 6’ even.

Wild Bill Hickok

Martha Jane Canary, better known as Calamity Jane, doesn’t have a recorded height that I could find, but she was tall for a woman, strong like a man, and quite a character in every sense of the word.

Martha Jane Canary, also known as
Calamity Jane

Western sharpshooter, Annie Oakley, was all of 5’ tall.

Annie Oakley, famed sharshooter

What about more recent historical figures?

Longest-serving president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who presided over the country when Pearl Harbor was attacked, stood 6’2” tall, though few got to see his impressive height. He was stricken with polio, rendering him paralyzed from the waist down. He served as president from a wheelchair, the only disabled president of our country.

President Franklin D Roosevelt

Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the second World War was a mere 5’6”.

Winston Churchill

I found conflicting reports on Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazis during World War II, which said he was 5’8 or 5’9”.

Adolf Hitler

Five-star general Douglas MacArthur, who played a major role in the Pacific theater of World War II, was 6’ tall. Emperor Hirohito, who was leader of Japan during the Occupation of Japan, stood 5’5”.

General Douglas MacArthur standing next to
Japanese Emperor Hirohito

And since our current president, Donald Trump, and his wife Melania, just visited England and met with the Queen, I thought I’d look up their respective heights. Donald Trump is 6’3”. Melania is 5’11”. And Queen Elizabeth of England is 5’4” tall. I found the photos taken during that visit to be cute. (Due to copyright laws, I can’t repost, but you can see them here).

It’s Your Turn:

Do you enjoy knowing the heights of historical figures? Why or why not?

Jennifer Uhlarikdiscovered the western genre as a pre-teen when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has finaled and won in numerous writing competitions, and been on the ECPA best-seller list numerous times. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, college-aged son, and four fur children.

NOW AVAILABLE:

The First Love Forever Romance Collection

A first love is never easily forgotten...
and coming face to face with that person again can be awkward when the heartstrings are still holding on to the “what ifs.”

In settings from 1865 to 1910, nine couples are thrown back on the same path by life’s changes and challenges. A neighbor returns from law school. An heiress seeks a quick marriage. A soldier’s homecoming is painful. A family needs help. A prodigal son returns. A rogue aeronaut drops from the sky. A runaway bridegroom comes home. A letter for aid is sent. A doctor needs a nurse. Can love rekindle despite the separation of time and space?


Heartfelt Echoes by Jennifer Uhlarik
1875—Virginia City, Nevada: A short, urgent letter mentioning his childhood love, Millie Gordon, forces deaf Travis McCaffrey to turn to his estranged birth father for help rescuing the woman he can’t forget.

Wild Bill’s Rise to Old West Stardom—and a Giveaway

If you’re even remotely familiar with Old West lore, you’ve heard the name of Wild Bill Hickok. He is one of the staples of Old West legends, though until recently, I hadn’t heard how he became the famous gunslinger we know today. So here’s the story.

The man known as “Wild Bill” was born James Butler Hickok on May 27, 1837, in Homer, Illinois (now Troy Grove, Illinois). By age 18, Hickok moved from there. Among his various jobs, he worked as a constable in Monticello Township, Kansas, and eventually took a job with the freighting company of Russell, Waddell, and Majors (the parent company for the Pony Express). At the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the Union Army and served in various capacities including scout, police detective, and a spy who went behind Confederate lines.

Wild Bill Hickok, circa 1860's

It was at the end of the Civil War when Wild Bill’s “stardom” came about. The war ended in April 1865, and by July of the same year, Wild Bill was haunting around Springfield, Missouri, gambling in the saloons and poker rooms there. A friend of Hickock’s from before the war, Davis Tutt, was also in Springfield. Tutt had served with the Confederate Army, which may have contributed to the tensions that would ultimately make Wild Bill famous.

On July 20, 1865, Hickok was playing poker in the Lyon House hotel when Tutt confronted him about a $35 debt Tutt said Wild Bill owed him. Hickok disagreed on the amount, stating he held a “memorandum” that showed the debt was for $25 instead. Hickok tried to produce the paper, but Tutt grabbed Hickok’s Waltham pocket watch from the poker table and promised to hold it as collateral until the issue was settled. Hickok grew irate and told him not to wear the watch, or he would be shot.

The following day, the pair argued back and forth and eventually met to discuss the issue over a glass of whiskey. While neither seemed anxious for a gunfight, they couldn’t reach a resolution either, so Tutt left in frustration. At about 6 p.m., Tutt appeared on the street near the courthouse wearing Hickok’s watch. Wild Bill stepped out from the other side of the town square, warning Davis Tutt, “Don’t come over here wearing that watch!” Tutt didn’t comply with the warning, and the two men came within about seventy-five yards of each other before they drew and fired.

Drawing of the shootout from Harper's

Two gunshots sounded so close together, the bystanders almost couldn’t distinguish that there were multiple shots. Tutt’s bullet flew high, missing Wild Bill all together. Hickok’s bullet struck true, lodging in Tutt’s heart. The mortally wounded man is reported to have gasped, “Boys, I’m killed,” just before he staggered a few steps toward the courthouse and dropped to the ground. In all, the deadly episode lasted only seconds.

Hickok was arrested on manslaughter charges, and the following month, he stood trial. Tutt’s friends testified that Wild Bill approached the deceased man with his gun drawn and shot in cold blood. Hickok’s allies testified that they’d both drawn their guns and shot at the same time. Tutt’s pistol was introduced into evidence, and the fact that it was missing only one bullet led the jury to find Hickok innocent within moments of being sent to deliberate.

Just weeks after the shootout, Hickok became “front page news” in Harper’s New Monthly

Magazine. Colonel George Ward Nichols wrote the article which exaggerated little in the retelling of the deadly shootout. However, in other parts of the magazine, as well as other publications, Wild Bill was painted as the stuff of tall tales and legends. Among the many falsehoods spread about him were the ideas that he’d killed over 100 men and that he fought off a gang of ten bandits singlehandedly. Dime novelists quickly found him to be great fodder for their pages.

After the trial for the Tutt shooting, Wild Bill went on to work as a wilderness scout, a lawman, a “Wild West” show performer, and a gambler. While he did participate in a few more shootouts in Kansas and Texas in the years to come, Wild Bill met his less-than-glorified end while playing poker in Deadwood, South Dakota’s No. 10 Saloon in 1876. His killer, Jack McCall, sneaked up behind him and shot him in the back of the head. Wild Bill Hickok never had a chance to draw his gun or defend himself.

It’s your turn. How do you see Wild Bill Hickok? Was he a hero, a villain, or somewhere in between? Why do you feel as you do? Leave me your thoughts with a valid email address, and I will select one person to receive an autographed copy of either The Oregon Trail Romance Collection or The Convenient Bride Collection.

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.