Martha Jane Cannary
AKA
Calamity Jane
By Julie Nikkola
November 27, 2010

Martha Jane Cannary was born May 1, 1852 in Princeton Missouri on a small farm to Robert and Charlotte Cannary. Martha was the oldest of six children; she had two brothers and three sisters. Martha Jane received no formal education, but was considered literate. When Martha Jane was 13 her father decided to re-locate the family to Virginia City, Montana, by way of wagon train that was heading from Missouri to Montana. The wagon train took the Overland Trail, taking approximately five months to reach Virginia City, Montana. According to information on the Lakewood Public Library site the trek was often daunting. “Many times in crossing the mountains, the conditions of the trail were so bad that we frequently had to lower the wagons over ledges by hand with ropes, for they were so rough and rugged that horses were of no use” (Women in History 2010). Along with this they had to ford streams because many streams were noted for quicksand meaning horses could be lost along the way if they weren’t careful. Martha Jane spent most of her time with the men on the wagon train hunting. In her autobiography Martha Jane states “In fact I was at all times with the men when there was excitement and adventures to be had.”(Burk, M. cir. 1900). Charlotte Cannary, Martha Jane’s mother, helped supplement the family income by taking in washing from nearby mining camps. Charlotte Cannary died along the Overland Trail because of an ailment called washtub pneumonia. This was a common ailment to those women who took in laundry from the nearby mining camps, as washtub pneumonia was used to describe a number of respiratory problems associated with women working as laundresses in the mining camps. Martha Jane’s father died one year later in 1867, but it is unknown from what. According to Beverly Ballaro in her biography of Calamity Jane, “By the time the wagon train arrived in Virginia City Montana, Jane had acquired excellent riding, shooting, hunting, and fishing skills” (Ballaro, 2006) This would be the beginning of a lifetime of occupations for Jane. Upon the death of both parents, Martha Jane moved herself and her five siblings to Salt Lake City, Utah. It was here in Salt Lake City that Martha Jane managed to find homes for all five of her siblings. Martha Jane would leave her siblings behind and travel to Fort Bridger in Wyoming Territory; from here she went to Piedmont, Wyoming, with the Union Pacific Railway. Some accounts show that Martha Jane joined up with General Custer as a scout at Fort Russell, Wyoming, and started from there to Arizona for the Indian Campaign. It was up until this time that Martha Jane had worn women’s clothing, but upon joining Custer she began dressing in the uniform of a soldier. Martha Jane had many adventures with the Indians but managed to escape to safety on all of her dangerous missions. Martha Jane was considered the most reckless and daring rider and one of the best shots in the Western Country. Cannary did serve in one campaign in which Lt. Colonel Custer was involved, following the spring of 1872. Lt. Colonel Custer and Generals Miles, Terry, and Crook were dispatched with their forces to handle Indian uprisings near present-day Sheridan, Wyoming, which would be come to be called the "Mussel Shell Indian Outbreak," and is also referred to as the "Nursey Pursey Indian Outbreak." (Simkin). Anyway, this is the only confirmed opportunity Calamity had to meet Custer, although it is unlikely that she did. Following that campaign, in 1874, Martha Jane’s detachment was ordered to Fort Custer, where they remained until the following spring. Cannary was involved in several campaigns in the long-running military conflicts with Native Americans. One story (told by Cannary) has her acquiring the nickname "Calamity Jane" in 1872 by rescuing her superior, Captain Egan, from an ambush near Sheridan, Wyoming, in an area known then as Goose Creek (City of Deadwood,Calamity Jane, 2009). However, even back then not everyone accepted her version, and in another story it is said that she acquired it as a result of her warnings to men that to offend her was to "court calamity." Historians believe that sounds more like her; however, she most probably did perform a feat of daring-do to rescue Egan. As Calamity told the story, it happened at Goose Creek, Wyoming, where the town of Sheridan is presently located. Captain Egan was in command of the Post and the troops were ordered out to quell an Indian uprising. After a couple of days, when the soldiers were heading back to camp, they were ambushed by a large group of Indians. Captain Egan was the first to be shot and fell from his horse. Calamity Jane was riding in advance, but upon hearing gunfire, she turned in her saddle and saw the captain fall. Galloping back, she lifted him onto her horse and delivered him safely back to the Fort. Captain Egan on recovering, laughingly said, "I name you Calamity Jane, the heroine of the plains.'' (Burk, M. cir 1900). In 1976 Cannary traveled to Deadwood South Dakota also a mining town. This is where she met James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok. This relationship is not altogether known. Some accounts show that Calamity Jane was infatuated with Wild Bill, who supposedly was engaged to be married to Agnes Lake Thatcher, where as others say they were married and had a daughter. While in Deadwood, Cannary served as a rider for the Pony Express, riding between Deadwood and Custer City, South Dakota. According to Cannary this was the most dangerous route (Women in History, 2010) . This was the only way to get mail and money between these two points. Because Cannary had a reputaion of being a rider with a quick shot, she was least likely to get robbed, the toll gatherers looked upon Cannary as a good fellow, and they knew she never missed her mark (Burk, M. Cir. 1900). The National Women’s History Museum website reports that Wild Bill Hickok was murdered during a poker game the same year Cannary and he met. Upon learning about the murder Cannary went after the his killer, Jack McCall. Cannary found McCall at Shurdy’s butcher shop and grabbed a meat cleaver and made him throw up his hands (Women in History 2010). Cannary decided to stay on in Deadwood after Hickok’s death, during her stay she was credited with rescuing a stagecoach that was under attack by indians with the only loss being the driver. Cannary was also credited with working as a bull whacker, which is someone who drives supply wagons during the 1800s. The wagons were filled with food, clothing, and other necessary supplies for the new settlers of the West. Some accounts show that Cannary nursed eight sick men in Deadwood during a smallpox epidemic, to which some called her a Florence Nightengale. During the next fews years Cannary roamed through the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, and California, finally arriving in El Paso Texas. It is here that Calamity Jane met and married a gentleman named Clinton Burk. Some records indicate that she gave birth to a daughter two years later; however no official documents have been found to substantiate such evidence. Some say that the daughter was sent to a nunnery upon her birth. This marriage lasted approximately 10 years. The couple travelled extensively and became innkeepers Coloradio After ten years the two were offically seperated. Upon their seperation Cannary found herself once again using her skills as a sharp shooter astride her horse in the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. It is said that Cannary only performed a couple of times and was fired because of a dispute with Buffalo Bill due to her cronic drunkeness and frequent fights. All historical accounts had a common theme. The information provided was purely speculation on the account of Cannary’s life. Some say she was nothing more than a washer woman, prostitute, cook, and innkeeper. Where other accounts list her as a pony express rider, bull whacker, Army scout, and sharpshooter. Some speculate that Calamity Jane had many men in her life, not just her marriage to Burk. At one Palace museum, Cannary was billed as the “famous woman scout of the Wild West,” the “herione of a thousand adventures,” “the Terror of the evildoers in the Black Hills,” and “the comrade of Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok” (Women in History. 2010). In 1901 Cannary did appear at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Cannary was also reported as selling copies of her phamplet autobiography, but apparantly her drinking got her in trouble with the police and she borrowed money from Bufflo Bill to get back home. At the age of 51 Cannary returned to Deadwood to visit the grave of Wild Bill at the Mt. Moriah cemetary. In July Cannary was said to have travelled to Terry South Dakota, a small mining town, and stayed in the Calloway Hotel. It was here that several old friends visited with Cannary. Sadly Cannary died on August 1, 1903 due to complications from pneumonia. Cannary requested to be buried next to the only man she ever loved Wild Bill Hickok. Her request was honored and she was laid to rest in the Mt. Moriah cemetary next to Wild Bill. Cannary’s autobiography is believed to have been written by a ghost writer that embellished much of Cannary’s life stories. Most of the information for this report make the same claims, Calamity Jane left little written history for historians to create a background and life of the woman. Most of the information however, is common in that Calamity Jane was a rough and tumble lady who not only had a drinking problem but also swore every chance she got. The following quote came from a Deadwood magazine article on Calamity Jane and sums up the life of Calamity Jane. “No Career is so elusive to the historian as that of a loose woman. Calamity Jane was that sort of woman, and known details about her life are hard to find…she left little behind in the way of tangible evidence which could be used by historians to reconstruct the story of her checkered career” (Here Comes Calamity2001).

Bibliography
Ballaro, B. (2006). Calamity Jane. Retrieved 11/24/2010 from ebscohost database.
City of Deadwood. A National Historic Landmark. (2009). Calamity Jane. Retrieved 11-24-2010 from http://www.deadwood.govoffice.com

Deadwood Magazine Black Hills, South Dakota. (2001). Here comes Calamity. Retrieved 11/24/2010 from http://www.deadwood magazine.com/ Archivedsite/Archives/CalamityJane.htm.

Simkin, J. (n.d.). Spartacus Educational. Calamity Jane. Retrieved 11-24-2010 from http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wwcalamity.htm.

Women in History. Martha Jane “Calamity Jane” Cannary biography. (2010). Lakewood Public Library. Retrieved 10-19-2010 from http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/cana-mar.htm.

Burk, M. (cir 1900). Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane. Autobiography. Retrieved 11-24-2010 from http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/hst/biography/ LifeAdventuresCalamityJane/Chap.