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78-401: The club became popular quickly, and soon hosted the state championship (The Tennessee Wing-shot Championship) and the 1898 U.S. National Wing Shot Championship. In 1899, it featured celebrity sharpshooter Annie Oakley in a competition. The Belle Meade estate fell on hard times near the turn of the 19th century and became insolvent, leading to a dispersal sale of its assets in 1906. Today there

156-595: A coalition of poor, white cotton farmers in the South (especially North Carolina, Alabama and Texas) and hard-pressed wheat farmers in the Plains States (especially Kansas and Nebraska), the Populists represented a radical form of agrarianism and hostility to elites, cities, banks, railroads, and gold. The Free Silver movement arose from a synergy of farming and mining interests. Farmers sought to invigorate

234-459: A $ 100 bet per side (equivalent to $ 2,800 in 2023) with Cincinnati hotel owner Jack Frost that Butler could beat any local fancy shooter. The hotelier arranged a shooting match between Butler and the 15-year-old Annie, saying, "The last opponent Butler expected was a five-foot-tall [1.52 m] 15-year-old girl named Annie." After missing on his 25th shot, Butler lost the match and the bet. Another account says that Butler hit on his last shot, but

312-461: A cigar Butler held in his teeth. Oakley and Sitting Bull purportedly met and bonded while working together on a Buffalo Bill show in Minnesota. Sitting Bull joined with Buffalo Bill after being paroled, having led the last major Indian uprising against the federal government; his status as a great warrior and leader was legendary worldwide by the time he and Oakley met. The former Indian Chief

390-568: A cigar from her husband's hand or splitting a playing-card edge-on at 30 paces. She earned more than anyone except Buffalo Bill himself. After a bad rail accident in 1901, she had to settle for a less taxing routine, and she toured in a play written about her career. She also instructed women in marksmanship, believing strongly in female self-defense. Her stage acts were filmed for one of Thomas Edison 's earliest Kinetoscopes in 1894. Since her death, her story has been adapted for stage musicals and films, including Annie Get Your Gun . Annie Oakley

468-523: A cocaine habit. The woman actually arrested was a burlesque performer who told Chicago police that her name was Annie Oakley. Most of the newspapers that printed the story had relied on the Hearst article, and they immediately retracted it with apologies upon learning of the libelous error. Hearst, however, tried to avoid paying the anticipated court judgments of $ 20,000 (equivalent to $ 680,000 in 2023) by sending an investigator to Darke County, Ohio, with

546-474: A continuing trend downward from a high of 3 and 1/8 pence in 1891. In February 1895, the U.S. Government turned to private financial institutions to underwrite the sale of Treasury bonds , stabilize exchange rates , and return the Treasury to its gold reserve requirement. The result was a contract drawn with what was called "The Morgan-Belmont Syndicate". The persistent balance of payments deficit in

624-571: A contributing factor to the depression. The People's Party , also known as the ' Populists ', was an agrarian -populist political party in the United States. From 1892 to 1896, it played a major role as a left-wing force in American politics. It drew support from angry farmers in the West and South. It was highly critical of capitalism , especially banks and railroads, and allied itself with

702-453: A letter to President William McKinley on April 5, 1898, "offering the government the services of a company of 50 'lady sharpshooters' who would provide their own arms and ammunition should the U.S. go to war with Spain." The Spanish–American War did occur, but Oakley's offer was not accepted. Theodore Roosevelt , did, however, name his volunteer cavalry the " Rough Riders " after the "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of

780-463: A letter to the Kaiser Wilhelm , saying that Annie Oakley wanted to repeat the shot. The kaiser never replied. Oakley continued to set records into her sixties and also engaged in extensive philanthropy for women's rights and other causes, including the support of young women she knew. She embarked on a comeback and intended to star in a feature-length silent movie. She hit 100 clay targets in

858-703: A more phonetic spelling . There is also popular speculation that young Oakley had been teased about her name by other children. Prior to their double wedding in March 1884, both Oakley's brother John and one of her sisters, Hulda, changed their surnames to "Moses". Annie soon became well known throughout the region. On Thanksgiving Day 1875, the Baughman & Butler shooting act was being performed in Cincinnati . Traveling show marksman and former dog trainer Frank E. Butler (1847–1926), an Irish immigrant, placed

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936-534: A rented farm (later purchased with a mortgage) in Patterson Township, Darke County, Ohio , sometime around 1855. Born in 1860, Annie was the sixth of Jacob and Susan's nine children, and the fifth of the seven surviving. Her siblings were Mary Jane (1851–1867), Lydia (1852–1882), Elizabeth (1855–1881), Sarah Ellen (1857–1939), Catherine (1859–1859), John (1861–1949), Hulda (1864–1934) and a stillborn infant brother in 1865. Annie's father, who had fought in

1014-446: A rifle and rope to outsmart a group of outlaws. Throughout her career, it is believed that Oakley taught more than 15,000 women how to use a gun. Oakley believed strongly that it was crucial for women to learn how to use a gun, as not only a form of physical and mental exercise, but also to defend themselves. She said: "I would like to see every woman know how to handle guns as naturally as they know how to handle babies." Buffalo Bill

1092-515: A row from 16 yards (15 m) at age 62 in a 1922 shooting contest in Pinehurst, North Carolina . In late 1922, the couple were in a car crash that forced Oakley to wear a steel brace on her right leg. She eventually performed again after more than a year of recovery, and she set records in 1924. Oakley's health declined in 1925 and she died of pernicious anemia in Greenville, Ohio , at

1170-543: A run on gold in the U.S. Treasury . Specie was considered more valuable than paper money; when people were uncertain about the future, they hoarded specie and rejected paper notes. During the Gilded Age of the 1870s and 1880s, the United States had experienced economic growth and expansion, but much of this expansion depended on high international commodity prices. Exacerbating the problems with international investments, wheat prices crashed in 1893. In particular,

1248-608: A series of failed attempts to restore reserves by issuing bonds and depreciating specie issued for legal tender , the Treasury negotiated a contract with the Morgan-Belmont Syndicate to restore confidence in the government's ability to maintain the convertibility of legal tender into gold. The full list of syndicate members was not made public, however the contract named Drexel, Morgan & Co ., A. Belmont & Co., J. S. Morgan & Co. , and N. M. Rothschild & Sons . The syndicate achieved its goals through

1326-594: A title that Oakley went on to use throughout her career. Oakley's worldwide stardom as a sharpshooter enabled her to earn more money than most of the other performers in the Buffalo Bill show. She did not forget her roots after gaining financial and economic power. She and Butler together often donated to charitable organizations for orphans. Oakley also proved to be a great influence on women. She urged that women serve in war, though President William McKinley rejected her offer of woman sharpshooters for service in

1404-800: Is no physical trace of the Belle Meade Gun Club. Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey ; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter and folk heroine who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West . Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western Ohio. At age 15, she won a shooting contest against an experienced marksman, Frank E. Butler , whom she married in 1876. The pair joined Buffalo Bill in 1885, performing in Europe before royalty and other heads of state. Audiences were astounded to see her shooting out

1482-523: Is no remaining physical trace of the gun club; a private country club now occupies the site. In 1897, General Jackson was a man of wealth and influence in Nashville who had developed the Belle Meade Stud farm , achieving a national reputation for breeding thoroughbred horses. His avocation was the sport of live bird wing shooting , and this club offered him means to pursue it. The land for

1560-518: The 1870 U.S. Census and "Mosey" is engraved on her father's headstone and appears in his military record; "Mosey" is the official spelling by the Annie Oakley Foundation, maintained by her living relatives. The spelling "Mosie" has also appeared. According to Kasper, Oakley insisted that her family name be spelled "Mozee", leading to arguments with her brother John. Kasper speculates that Oakley may have considered "Mozee" to be

1638-560: The National Cordage Company (NCC), then the most actively traded stock, caused its lenders to call in their loans immediately, and the company went into bankruptcy receivership as a result. The company, a rope manufacturer, had tried to corner the market for imported hemp. As demand for silver and silver notes fell, the price and value of silver dropped. Holders worried about a loss of face value of bonds, and many became worthless. A series of bank failures followed, and

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1716-610: The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas Annie and Frank Butler lived in Cincinnati for a time. Oakley, the stage name she adopted when she and Frank began performing together, is believed to have been taken from the city's neighborhood of Oakley , where they resided. Some people believe she took on the name because that was the name of the man who had paid her train fare when she

1794-609: The Northern Pacific Railway , the Union Pacific Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad failed. This was followed by the bankruptcy of many other companies; in total over 15,000 companies and 500 banks, many of them in the West, failed. According to high estimates, about 17%–19% of the workforce was unemployed at the panic's peak. The huge spike in unemployment, combined with

1872-744: The Ohio Women's Hall of Fame , and the New Jersey Hall of Fame . Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States . It began in February 1893 and officially ended eight months later, but the effects from it continued to be felt until 1897. It was the most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Panic of 1893 deeply affected every sector of

1950-865: The Pullman Strike . After their defeat in 1896, the Democrats did not regain control of any branch of the Federal Government until 1910 . A rarely talked-about effect is the Love Canal disaster. People who were earlier keen to invest in the Love Canal stopped doing so, which led to the abandonment of its construction. Ultimately the canal ended up being a large toxic waste repository, with severe negative environmental effects. Love Canal remains synonymous with environmental pollution and degradation. The Panic of 1893 affected many aspects of

2028-649: The Spanish–American War . Beyond this offer to the president, Oakley believed that women should learn to use a gun for the empowering image that it gave. Laura Browder discusses how Oakley's stardom gave hope to women and youth in Her Best Shot: Women and Guns In America . Oakley pressed for women to be independent and educated. She was a key influence in the creation of the image of the American cowgirl . Through this image, she provided substantial evidence that women are as capable as men when offered

2106-544: The U.S. Treasury fell to a dangerously low level. This forced President Cleveland to borrow $ 65 million in gold from Wall Street banker J.P. Morgan and the Rothschild banking family of England , through what was known as the Morgan-Belmont Syndicate His party suffered enormous losses in the 1894 elections , largely being blamed for the downward spiral in the economy and the brutal crushing of

2184-543: The War of 1812 , was 61 years old at the time of Annie's birth and became an invalid from hypothermia during a blizzard in late 1865, dying of pneumonia in early 1866 at age 66. Her mother later married Daniel Brumbaugh, had another daughter, Emily (1868–1937), and was widowed once again. Because of poverty following her father's death, Annie did not regularly attend school as a child, although she did attend later in childhood and in adulthood. On March 15, 1870, at age nine, she

2262-572: The club was part of the 5,400 acres (8.4 sq mi) Belle Meade Plantation , which he controlled; he donated a small parcel of it in 1897 for shooting. For a lodge, he found a structure that had been used in Nashville's Tennessee Centennial Exposition , one of nearly 100 buildings built for the six-month Expo that were never intended to be permanent. When the Expo concluded in October,1897, Jackson purchased one of these buildings and had it moved to

2340-482: The shipping industry , both by rail and maritime. It arrested the acquisition of ships and rolling stock and depressed shipping rates. The bad omen of investors switching from equity based stocks to constant return bonds in 1894 was mirrored in the corporate finance actions of railroads which reduced their acquisition of rolling stock . Railroad expansion including capital expenditures rose again in 1895, but slowed in 1897 during another economic trough. In 1893,

2418-476: The 1890s which drained the Treasury gold reserves, caused concern from both domestic and foreign investors that the U.S. would abandon the gold standard. This prompted further gold withdrawals and bond liquidations which exacerbated the deficit. By February 2, 1895, the Treasury's gold reserves fell to approximately $ 42 million, well below the $ 100 million level required by the Resumption Act of 1875 . After

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2496-610: The Pullman Company was a railroad car company, this only increased the difficulty of acquiring rolling stock. The maritime industry of the United States did not escape the effects of the Panic of 1893. The total gross registered merchant marine tonnage employed in "foreign and coastwise trade and in the fisheries", as measured by the U.S. Census between 1888 and 1893, grew at a rate of about 2.74%. In 1894, U.S. gross tonnage decreased by 2.9%, and again in 1895 by 1.03%. In 1894,

2574-825: The Studabaker family, but the 1870 U.S. Census suggests they were the Abram Boose family of neighboring Preble County . Around the spring of 1872, Annie ran away from "the wolves". According to biographer Shirl Kasper, it was only at this point that Annie met and lived with the Edingtons, returning to her mother's home around the age of 15. Annie began trapping before age 7, and shooting and hunting by age 8, to support her siblings and her widowed mother. She sold hunted game to locals in Greenville , such as shopkeepers Charles and G. Anthony Katzenberger, who shipped it to hotels in Cincinnati and other cities. She also sold

2652-551: The United Kingdom, King Umberto I of Italy , President Marie François Sadi Carnot of France and other crowned heads of state. Oakley supposedly shot the ashes off a cigarette held by the newly crowned German Kaiser Wilhelm II at his request. From 1892 to 1904, Oakley and Butler made their home in Nutley, New Jersey . Oakley promoted the service of women in combat operations for the United States armed forces. She wrote

2730-459: The World" where Oakley was a major star. In 1901 (the same year as McKinley's assassination), Oakley was badly injured in a train accident but recovered after temporary paralysis and five spinal operations. She left the Buffalo Bill show and in 1902 began a less taxing acting career in a stage play written especially for her, The Western Girl . Oakley played the role of Nancy Berry who used a pistol,

2808-574: The age of 66 on November 3, 1926. She was cremated and her ashes buried at Brock Cemetery, near Greenville. According to B. Haugen, Butler was so distraught by her death that he stopped eating and died 18 days later in Michigan; he was buried next to her ashes. Kasper reports that Butler's death certificate gave senility as the cause of death. One rumor claims that Oakley's ashes were placed in one of her trophies and placed with Butler's body in his coffin prior. Both body and ashes were interred in

2886-487: The air, she shot cigarettes from her husband's lips, and, a playing card being thrown into the air, she riddled it before it touched the ground. R. A. Koestler-Grack reports that, on March 19, 1884, she was being watched by Chief Sitting Bull when: Oakley playfully skipped on stage, lifted her rifle, and aimed the barrel at a burning candle. In one shot, she snuffed out the flame with a whizzing bullet. Sitting Bull watched her knock corks off of bottles and slice through

2964-480: The bird fell dead about 2 feet (60 cm) beyond the boundary line. He soon began courting Annie and they married. They never had any children. According to a modern-day account in The Cincinnati Enquirer , it is possible that the shooting match took place in 1881 and not 1875. It appears the time of the event was never recorded. Biographer Shirl Kasper states the shooting match took place in

3042-417: The cemetery on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1926. After her death, her incomplete autobiography was given to stage comedian Fred Stone , and it was discovered that her entire fortune had been spent on her family and her charities. Biographers, such as Shirl Kasper, repeat Oakley's own story about her first shot at the age of eight. "I saw a squirrel run down over the grass in front of the house, through

3120-419: The destitute. Facing starvation, people chopped wood, broke rocks, and sewed by hand with needle and thread in exchange for food. In some cases, women resorted to prostitution to feed their families. To help the people of Detroit, Mayor Hazen S. Pingree launched his "Potato Patch Plan", which were community gardens for farming. President Grover Cleveland was blamed for the depression. Gold reserves stored in

3198-741: The economy and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment and the presidency of William McKinley . The Panic of 1893 has been traced to many causes, one of them pointing to Argentina; investment was encouraged by the Argentine agent bank, Baring Brothers . However, the 1890 wheat crop failure and a failed coup in Buenos Aires ended further investments. In addition, speculations in South African and Australian properties also collapsed. Because European investors were concerned that these problems might spread, they started

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3276-459: The economy and thereby end deflation , which was forcing them to repay loans with increasingly expensive dollars. Mining interests sought the right to turn silver directly into money without a central minting institution. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890, while falling short of the Free Silver movement's goals, required the U.S. government to buy millions of ounces of silver above what

3354-511: The economy deepened, people rushed to withdraw their money from banks, and caused bank runs . The credit crunch rippled through the economy. A financial panic in London combined with a drop in continental European trade caused foreign investors to sell American stocks to obtain American funds backed by gold. The economic policies of President Benjamin Harrison have been characterized as

3432-421: The farm leading to a dispersal sale of its assets between 1903 and 1906. Gen. William Hicks Jackson died in 1903 at age 67 and his son, William Harding Jackson (1874–1903), died of typhoid fever just 3 months later at age 49, leaving a two year old son . A land-developing syndicate purchased a large portion of the estate to create a residential community called "Belle Meade." The Nashville Golf and Country club

3510-432: The game to restaurants and hotels in northern Ohio. Her skill paid off the mortgage on her mother's farm when Annie was 15. There are a number of variations given for Oakley's family name, Mosey. Many biographers and other references give the name as "Moses". Although the 1860 U.S. Census shows the family name as "Mauzy", this is considered an error introduced by the census taker. Oakley's name appears as "Ann Mosey" in

3588-538: The gun club site. The house was finished in hardwood and furnished in wicker. The club's officers included Jackson himself as president and W.R.Elliston as secretary-treasurer. Other prominent members were C.B.Cullom, W.H. Jackson Jr., Alex Hunter, W.T. Peyton, Dr. William White, Edgar Foster, and Joe Warner. The members were primarily young society men, but there were also lady members. Lady members included Mrs. William Elliston, Misses Anne Dallas , Louise McClure, and Mildred Williams. Trap shooting, using live pigeons on

3666-659: The hotel until 1879. The Baughman & Butler shooting act first appeared on the pages of The Cincinnati Enquirer in 1880. They signed with Sells Brothers Circus in 1881 and made an appearance at the Coliseum Opera House later that year. Oakley and Butler were married a year afterward. A certificate on file with the Archives of Ontario , Registration Number 49594, reports that Butler and Oakley were wed on June 20, 1882, in Windsor, Ontario . Many sources say

3744-548: The inauguration of U.S. President Grover Cleveland , with the appointment of receivers for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad , which had greatly overextended itself. Upon taking office, Cleveland dealt directly with the Treasury crisis and convinced Congress to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act , which he felt was mainly responsible for the economic crisis. As concern for the state of

3822-593: The intent of collecting reputation-smearing gossip from Oakley's past. The investigator found nothing. Oakley spent much of the next six years winning all but one of her 55 libel lawsuits against newspapers. She collected less in judgments than the total of her legal expenses. In 1913, the Butlers built a brick bungalow style home in Cambridge, Maryland . It is known as the Annie Oakley House and

3900-523: The labor movement. Established in 1891 as a result of the Populist movement, the People's Party reached its height in the 1892 presidential election , when its ticket, consisting of James B. Weaver and James G. Field , won 8.5% of the popular vote and carried five states (Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, and North Dakota), and the 1894 House of Representatives elections when it won nine seats. Built on

3978-402: The late 19th century. The Civil War resulted in the estate's occupation by Union troops and imprisonment of the owner. The estate was pillaged by the soldiers, but recovered after the war with reduced means. It received another blow in the financial " Panic of 1893 " in which hundreds of banks closed, numerous U.S. farms ceased operation. These and other factors eventually resulted in bankruptcy of

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4056-468: The less skilled (higher handicappers) shot one or two yards closer to the target. In October, 1898, the club hosted a four-day shooting tournament featuring elite U.S.marksmen. The Nashville American reported the following facts: The final day, a match with 100 live birds for each side produced the "Wing Shot Champion of the United States", with a cast-iron medal attesting the winner, Charles W. Budd, of Des Moines, Iowa. The contest for national champion

4134-572: The loss of life savings kept in failed banks, meant that a once-secure middle-class could not meet their mortgage obligations. Many walked away from recently built homes as a result. As a result of the panic, stock prices declined. Five hundred banks closed, 15,000 businesses failed, and numerous farms ceased operation. The unemployment rate hit 25% in Pennsylvania, 35% in New York, and 43% in Michigan. Soup kitchens were opened to help feed

4212-489: The marriage took place on August 23, 1876, in Cincinnati, but no recorded certificate validates that date. A possible reason for the contradictory dates is that Butler's divorce from his first wife, Henrietta Saunders, was not yet final in 1876. An 1880 U.S. Federal Census record shows Saunders as married. Sources mentioning Butler's first wife as Elizabeth are inaccurate; Elizabeth was his granddaughter, her father being Edward F. Butler. Throughout Oakley's show-business career,

4290-438: The opening of numerous mines in the western United States led to an oversupply of silver, leading to significant debate as to how much of the silver should be coined into money (see below). During the 1880s, American railroads experienced what might today be called a " bubble ": investors flocked to railroads, and they were greatly over-built. One of the first clear signs of trouble came on 20 February 1893, twelve days before

4368-733: The opportunity to prove themselves. A vast collection of Oakley's personal possessions, performance memorabilia, and firearms are on permanent exhibit in the Garst Museum and the National Annie Oakley Center in Greenville, Ohio. She has been inducted into the Trapshooting Hall of Fame, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas , the National Women's Hall of Fame ,

4446-439: The orchard and stop on a fence to get a hickory nut." Taking a rifle from the house, she fired at the squirrel, writing later that, "It was a wonderful shot, going right through the head from side to side". The Encyclopædia Britannica notes that: Oakley never failed to delight her audiences, and her feats of marksmanship were truly incredible. At 30 paces she could split a playing card held edge-on, she hit dimes tossed into

4524-432: The public was often led to believe that she was five to six years younger than she was. The later marriage date would have better supported her fictional age. "Aim at the high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you'll hit the bull's-eye of success." Annie Oakley exhibit at

4602-487: The rate for a bushel of wheat by rail dropped from 14.70¢ in 1893 to 12.88¢. This rate continued to decrease, reaching a terminal rate in 1901 of 9.92¢ and never reached 12 cents between 1898 and 1910. Between 1893 and 1894, average shipping rates by lake or canal per wheat bushel decreased by almost 2 cents, from 6.33¢ to 4.44¢. Rates on the transatlantic crossing from New York City to Liverpool also decreased, from 2 and 3/8 pence to 1 and 15/16 pence, but this reflected

4680-433: The show, except Buffalo Bill himself. She also performed in many shows on the side for extra income. During her lifetime, the theatre business began referring to complimentary tickets as "Annie Oakleys". Such tickets traditionally have holes punched into them (to prevent them from being resold), reminiscent of the playing cards Oakley shot through during her sharpshooting act. In Europe, she performed for Queen Victoria of

4758-631: The spring of 1881 near Greenville, possibly in North Star as mentioned by Butler during interviews in 1903 and 1924. Other sources seem to coincide with the North Fairmount location near Cincinnati if the event occurred in 1881. The Bevis House hotel was still being operated by Martin Bevis and W. H. Ridenour in 1875. It opened around 1860 after the building was previously used as a pork packaging facility. Jack Frost did not obtain management of

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4836-528: The time she joined the show in 1886, which may have been a primary reason for Oakley to alter her age as six years younger in later years due to Smith's press coverage becoming as favorable as hers. Oakley temporarily left the Buffalo Bill show but returned two years later, after Smith departed, in time for the Paris Exposition of 1889 . This three-year tour only cemented Oakley as America's first female star. She earned more than any other performer in

4914-424: The total railroad mileage in the U.S. was 176,803.6 miles. In 1894 and 1895, railroads only expanded 4,196.4 miles, although 100,000 miles of rail was added from 1878 to 1896. In 1893, the year following the panic, one fourth of all rail mileage went into receivership. The U.S. Census placed this value at close to $ 1.8 billion (not adjusted for inflation), the largest amount recorded between 1876 and 1910. This

4992-637: The wing as targets, was introduced into the U.S. about 1825. Live birds were used at the Belle Meade Gun Club for certain matches. The pigeons were counted and placed in boxes down-range. The shooter, at a distance of 30 yards, gave a command and the box opened; a spring loaded device catapulted the birds upward where they took flight. Live pigeons were expensive, and members sought artificial targets for trap competitions when possible. Alternate targets included glass balls containing feathers, and clay targets. For decades, animal rights activists attempted to ban live pigeon shoots. As of 2017, pigeon shooting in this manner

5070-432: Was a child. They joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1885. At five feet tall, Oakley was given the nickname of "Watanya Cicilla" by fellow performer Sitting Bull , rendered "Little Sure Shot" in the public advertisements. During her first engagement with the Buffalo Bill show, Oakley experienced a tense professional rivalry with rifle sharpshooter Lillian Smith . Smith was eleven years younger than Oakley, age 15 at

5148-605: Was admitted to the Darke County Infirmary along with her sister Sarah Ellen. According to her autobiography, she was put in the care of the infirmary's superintendent, Samuel Crawford Edington, and his wife Nancy, who taught her to sew and decorate. Beginning in the spring of 1870, she was "bound out" to a local family to help care for their infant son, on the false promise of fifty cents per week (equivalent to $ 12 in 2023) and an education. The couple had originally wanted someone who could pump water and cook and who

5226-638: Was also referred to as the "American Field Cup". From 1899, annual trapshooting championships have been hosted in various locations around the United States and led to the formation of the American Trapshooting Association(ATA) in 1900. Its name was changed in 1923 to the Amateur Trapshooting Association . Composer John Philip Sousa was a trapshooting enthusiast and served as president of the ATA; he

5304-414: Was attracted to move out to Belle Meade, four miles west of its existing downtown location. Land developers created incentives for the move because a golf course would enhance the desirability for the lots. The country club later built a clubhouse on the former site of the gun club. In 1938, most of the estate's former acreage was incorporated into the independent city of Belle Meade, Tennessee . Today, there

5382-416: Was bigger. She spent about two years in near slavery to them, enduring mental and physical abuse. One time, the wife put Annie out in the freezing cold without shoes, as a punishment because she had fallen asleep over some darning . Annie referred to them as "the wolves". Even in her autobiography, she never revealed the couple's real names. According to biographer Glenda Riley, "the wolves" could have been

5460-758: Was born Phoebe Ann (Annie) Mosey on August 13, 1860, in a log cabin less than two miles (3.2 km) northwest of Woodland, now Willowdell , in Darke County, Ohio , a rural county along the state line with Indiana. Her birthplace is about five miles (8 km) east of North Star . There is a stone-mounted plaque in the vicinity of the site, which was placed by the Annie Oakley Committee in 1981, 121 years after her birth. Annie's parents were Quakers of English descent from Hollidaysburg , Blair County, Pennsylvania : Susan Wise, born 1830, and Jacob Mosey, born 1799, married in 1848. They moved to

5538-456: Was filmed November 1, 1894, in Edison's Black Maria studio by William Heise. It lasted 21 seconds at 30 frames and 39 feet. It was the eleventh film made after commercial showings began on April 14, 1894. In 1904, sensational cocaine prohibition stories were selling well. Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst published a false story that Oakley had been arrested for stealing to support

5616-561: Was friends with Thomas Edison , and Edison built the world's largest electrical power plant at the time for the Wild West Show . Buffalo Bill and 15 of his show Indians appeared in two Kinetoscopes filmed September 24, 1894. In 1894, Oakley and Butler performed in Edison's Kinetoscope film Annie Oakley , also known as " Little Sure Shot" of the "Wild West ", an exhibition of rifle shooting at stationary and moving objects, which

5694-478: Was inducted into the Trapshooting Hall of Fame. Celebrity exhibition marksman, Annie Oakley , age 39, visited the Belle Meade Gun Club on October 26, 1899, as a special guest in a shooting competition. She competed in the "Court-House Handicap". Oakley was familiar with Nashville, having performed there as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show . The Harding estate (Belle Meade Plantation), despite its national recognition, had increasing financial difficulties during

5772-521: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. In 1917, they moved to North Carolina and returned to public life. After World War I broke out, Oakley reflected, "If I shot the kaiser, I might have saved the lives of several millions of soldiers. I didn't know then that he would swing the iron fist and shake the universe. Perhaps it was well for both of us that humans lack foresight." According to Butler, he sat down and wrote

5850-593: Was over $ 1 billion (also not adjusted for inflation) more than the next largest amount, in 1884. In 1894, the U.S. Army intervened during a strike in Chicago to prevent property damage. The Pullman Strike began at the Pullman Company in Chicago after Pullman refused to either lower rent in the company town or raise wages for its workers due to increased economic pressure from the Panic of 1893. Since

5928-457: Was required by the 1878 Bland–Allison Act (driving up the price of silver and pleasing silver miners). People attempted to redeem silver notes for gold. Ultimately, the statutory limit for the minimum amount of gold in federal reserves was reached and U.S. notes could no longer be redeemed for gold. Investments during the time of the panic were heavily financed through bond issues with high-interest payments. Rumors regarding financial distress at

6006-479: Was so impressed with Oakley's skills that he offered $ 65 (equal to $ 2,204 today) for a photograph of him and her together. According to Oakley, the admiration and respect was mutual and only increased as they spent more time together. Sitting Bull felt Oakley must be "gifted" by supernatural means, in order to shoot so accurately with both hands. As a result of his esteem, Sitting Bull symbolically "adopted" Oakley as his daughter in 1884, naming her "Little Sure Shot" –

6084-566: Was unlawful in 14 U.S. states. Beginning on February 17, 1897, the gun club members started meeting on Saturday afternoons to shoot targets of both clay pigeons and live birds. With Jackson's influence, the club gained popularity rapidly, to the extent of hosting the Tennessee Wing-shot Championship on May 11, 1899, won by J.D.B. DeBow from Memphis who hit 24 of 25 pigeons in flight. The shooters were handicapped by yardages from which they shot, typically 30 yards, but

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