18. Annie Oakley became an overnight celebrity, the teenage girl who was better with a rifle than any grizzled gunslinger
Teenage sporting prodigies are not that rare these days. But in the days of the ‘Wild West’, a youngster who was better with a gun than a grizzled old veteran gunslinger was almost unheard of. And a teenage girl who could shoot better than everyone else was very special indeed. Which is why Annie Oakley, who made a name for herself as a 15-year-old sharpshooter, became one of the most famous people in all of America in her day. Indeed, even today she’s remembered as a young, feminist icon of the American frontier.
It was on Thanksgiving Day in 1875 that the world first learned of young Annie Oakley’s prodigious talent with a gun. By that point, the 15-year-old had been shooting and hunting since the age of eight. She was a regular visitor to downtown Greenville, Ohio, where she sold game she had killed to local shops and restaurants. According to legend, her skill with a gun – and her entrepreneurial spirit – meant that she had helped her mother pay off the mortgage on the family home before she had hit her teens. So when the Baughman & Butler traveling shooting act arrived into Cincinnati and offered a prize of $100 to any local challenger who could beat the famous Frank E. Butler, Annie couldn’t resist.
As she herself remembered: “The last opponent Butler expected was a five-foot-tall 15-year-old girl named Annie.” But that’s what he got. And, of course, that Annie beat him soundly. She also won his heart that day and within a year, the pair were married. They started a double act and toured America showing off their sharpshooting skills. She became known as “Little Sure Shot,” testament to her skills, as well as her young age and small stature. By the time she was in her 20s, she was earning large amounts of money and was a famous celebrity, performing in front of Presidents and touring Europe.
Oakley carried on setting shooting records well into her 60s, and she remained devoted to Butler. She tragically died at the age of 66 in 1926, the result of a car accident. She will always be remembered most for her earlier years, and in particular for her teenage successes. Countless movies and books have been made about her, and her life story has also inspired a hit Broadway musical.
