Essay On Annie Oakley

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Annie Oakley was born on August 13, 1860 in Darke County, Ohio. Her original name was Phoebe Ann Moses, but her family called her Annie. Annie Oakley was short in stature, coming in at around five feet tall. She had wavy brown hair that fell past her shoulders and she wore costumes that she sewed herself. To maintain her ladylike attitude, Annie always wore a skirt and never wore pants. Annie Oakley was one of six children. Both her mother and her father were quakers and they did not have very much money. Her father passed away when she was just six years old. At the age of eight or nine, Annie went to live with the superintendent’s family in the Darke County Infirmary. The infirmary housed elderly, orphaned, and the mentally ill. Annie received …show more content…

She became a legendary markswoman of the American West and became famous for performing in the Buffalo Bill Wild West show later in her life. Annie’s fame as a hunter attracted the attention of Jack Frost, the owner of a hotel in Cincinnati. Frost invited Annie to participate in a live pigeon match against Frank Butler. In this competition, Annie hit all 25 of her targets while Frank Butler hit only 24 of his targets. This event was the first accomplishment in Annie’s road to fame. From here, Annie joined the Sell’s Brothers’ circus and performed exhibitions. Due to the dangerous equipment and poor living conditions, Annie led a strike against the circus. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show saw ambition in Annie and she joined their show instead. Annie performed in exhibitions that gave city dwellers a chance to see what the frontier life looked like. The shows contained real Indians, cowboys, cavalry troopers, rough-riding cowgirls, settlers in log cabins, bison, and stagecoaches. Annie also gave shooting lessons to ladies. In Annie Oakley’s time period, most women did not shoot guns. The women were expected to stay in the house, clean, take care of the children, and prepare the food. Annie was one of the first women to become famous for her sharpshooting and marksmanship

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