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[[Image:Calamity jane.jpeg|right|200px|thumb|Calamity Jane at the age of 33. Photo by [[H.R. Locke]].]]
 
'''Martha Jane Canary-Burke''', better known as '''Calamity Jane''' ([[May 1]], [[1852]]-[[August 1]], [[1903]]), was a [[frontier]]swoman and professional [[scout]] most well-known for her claim of being a close friend of [[Wild Bill Hickok]], but also having gained fame fighting [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].''
 
  
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[[Image:Calamity jane.jpeg|right|250px|thumb|Calamity Jane at the age of 33. Photo by [[H.R. Locke]]]]
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'''Martha Jane Canary-Burke,''' better known as '''Calamity Jane''' (May 1, 1852 - August 1, 1903), was a frontiers woman and professional scout. She gained fame fighting [[Native Americans]]. Many legends and stories have been told about her. It is difficult to sort fact from fiction in many cases, however she led a life of bravery and courage that few women of that time would have survived.
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{{toc}}
 
==Early life==
 
==Early life==
  
"Calamity" Jane was born Martha Jane Canary in [[Princeton, Missouri]], the oldest of six children, having two brothers and three sisters. Her mother died in [[1866]] and her father died in [[1867]] (in [[Utah]])She lived for a time in [[Virginia City, Montana]]. She received little to no formal education, but was [[literate]]. In [[1868]] she took on the role as head of her household at the age of 16 and moved her family to [[Fort Bridger]], in [[Wyoming]]. She then moved them to [[Piedmont, Wyoming]]. She settled her siblings into life there, and strived to find a home that would welcome them in. In accounts from this period, Canary was described as being attractive, with dark eyes. She moved on to a rougher, mostly outdoor adventurous life on the [[Great Plains]].  
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"Calamity" Jane was born Martha Jane Canary in Princeton, Missouri, the oldest of six children, having two brothers and three sisters. Jane was described as being attractive, with dark eyes. Her mother supplemented the [[family]] income by taking in washing from nearby mining camps. She died from pneumonia in 1866, and Jane's father died one year later in 1867.  Jane lived for a time in Virginia City, Nevada. She received little to no formal education, but was literate. After her father's death, she took on the role as head of the household. At the age of sixteen she decided to moved her family to Fort Bridger, in Wyoming. She then moved them to Piedmont, Wyoming. She settled her siblings there and strove to create a home that would be welcoming.
  
In [[1870]], she signed on as a scout, and adopted the uniform of a soldier. It is unclear whether she was actually enlisted in the [[U.S. Army]] at the time. From then on she mostly lost touch with her younger siblings, preferring to live a more wild and unsettled life. ''Calamity Jane'', as she would become known, did live a very colorful and eventful life starting in 1870, but as [[historian]]s have since discovered, she was prone to exaggerations and outright lies about her exploits.
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Once the family was settled she moved on to a rougher, mostly outdoor adventurous life on the Great Plains. In 1870, she signed on as a scout, and adopted the uniform of a soldier. It is unclear whether she was actually enlisted in the [[United States]] [[Army]] at the time. From then on she mostly lost touch with her younger siblings, preferring to live a more wild and unsettled life. "Calamity Jane," as she would become known, lived a very colorful and eventful life. However, as historians have since discovered, she was gifted storyteller with a wonderful imagination and sometimes altered the facts to make her adventures more exciting to the listener.
  
==Calamity's claims as a scout, 1870-1876==
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==Calamity's career==
  
Calamity Jane would often claim associations with or friendships with notable famous Old West figures, almost always posthumously. For example, years after the death of General [[George Armstrong Custer]], she claimed that she served under him during her initial enlistment at Fort Russell, and that she also served under him during the Indian Campaigns in [[Arizona]]. However, no records exist to show that Custer was ever assigned to Fort Russell, and he did not take an active part in the Arizona Indian Campaigns; he was tasked with handling the Plains Indians. It is more likely that she served under General [[George Crook]] at Fort Fetterman, Wyoming. This would be the first of her many false claims. [http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/cana-mar.htm]
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Jane wanted to be a soldier. She even went so far as dressing in mens clothing. She joined General [[George Custer]] in 1870 as a scout. Her first assignment was in Arizona for the "Indian Campaign." It was her job to force the Native Americans onto reservations.
  
Calamity did serve in one campaign in which General Custer was involved, following the spring of [[1872]]. Generals Custer, Miles, Terry and Crook were dispatched with their forces to handle Indian uprisings near present day [[Sheridan, Wyoming]], which would be called the "Muscle Shell Indian Outbreak", and is also referred to as the "Nursey Pursey Indian Outbreak". This is the only confirmed opportunity Calamity had to meet Custer, although it is unlikely that she did.  
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In 1872, she was sent to Fort Sanders, Wyoming, where the scouts were ordered out to the Muscle Shell or Nursey Pursey Indian outbreak. That campaign, in which Generals Custer, Miles, Terry, and Crook were engaged, lasted until the fall of 1873. Next, they were stationed at Goose Creek, Wyoming. Jane added the "calamity" to her her name during this time. The troops were sent out to handle a Native American uprising. Several days later on the way back to their camp, they were ambushed by a large group of Indians. Captain Egan, who was in command, was shot and thrown from his [[horse]]. Jane immediately upon seeing Captain Egan fall galloped over to him and lifted him up onto her horse and brought him to safety. Captain Egan soon recovered and said, "I name you Calamity Jane, the heroine of the plains."
  
Following that campaign, in [[1874]], Calamity's detachment was ordered to Fort Custer, where they would remain until the following spring. During this campaign (and others involving Custer and Crook together) she was never attached to Custer's command. 
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==Deadwood, South Dakota and Wild Bill Hickok==
  
She was involved with a number of campaigns in the long-running military conflicts with [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].  One story, told by her, 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, Wyoming]].  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". Calamity Jane accompanied the [[Newton-Jenney Party]] into the [[Black Hills]] in [[1875]], along with [[California Joe]] and [[Valentine McGillycuddy]].
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In 1876, Calamity Jane left the army and settled in the area of [[Deadwood]], South Dakota, in the Black Hills, and she became friends with [[Wild Bill Hickok]] and Charlie Utter, having traveled with them to Deadwood in Utter's wagon train. Calamity greatly admired Hickok and was keenly interested with his personality and life.  
  
One verified story about her is that in [[1875]] her detachment was ordered to the [[Big Horn River]], under General Crook. Bearing important dispatches, she swam the [[Platte River]], and traveled 90 miles at top speed while wet and cold to deliver them. Due to this action, she became quite ill. After recuperating for a few weeks, she rode to [[Fort Laramie]], Wyoming, and later, in July of [[1876]], she joined a [[wagon train]] headed north, which is where she first met Bill Hickok, contrary to her later claims.
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Jane was devastated when Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back of the head while gambling in Deadwood on the August 2, 1876. Hickok was holding a pair of eights and a pair of aces when he was killed, which would forever be known as a "dead man's hand." The town of Deadwood closed down for the funeral, as everyone was in attendance. Jack McCall was later hanged for the murder.
  
==Deadwood, South Dakota and Wild Bill Hickok: 1876-1884==
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Jane claimed that following Hickok's death, she went after Jack McCall, with a meat cleaver, having left her guns at her residence in the excitement of the moment. Following McCall's hanging for the offense, Jane continued living in the Deadwood area for some time, and at one point she helped save several passengers of an overturned stagecoach by diverting several Plains Indians who were in pursuit of the stage. The stagecoach driver, John Slaughter, was killed during the pursuit, and Jane took over the reins and drove the stage on into its destination.
  
In [[1876]], Calamity Jane settled in the area of [[Deadwood, South Dakota]], in the [[Black Hills]], and she became friendly with [[Wild Bill Hickok]] and [[Charlie Utter]], having traveled with them to Deadwood in Utter's [[wagon train]]. Calamity greatly admired Hickok (to the point of infatuation), and she was obsessed with his personality and life. However,  all of the accounts given by her about their relationship were totally fabricated.
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Deadwood was the site of some major [[gold]] strikes and Jane worked as a bull whacker, hauling machinery and supplies from town to the mining camps. She also worked as a pony express rider and carried the [[United States]] mail between Deadwood and Custer cities. It was a fifty-mile trail and considered to be one of the roughest trails in those famous Black Hills. Calamity Jane was well respected for her horsemanship and ability to make the trip quickly and with little incident. This gained her new respect and admiration in the Deadwood area.
  
After Hickok's death on August 2nd, [[1876]], Calamity claimed to have been married to Hickok, and that Hickok was the father of her child, whom she said was born [[September 25]], [[1873]], and whom she later placed up for adoption. There are no records to prove or disprove the birth of a child, but the story about a relationship of any kind between Calamity Jane and Hickok is false. During the period That Calamity alleged that her child was born, she was working as a scout for the Army, and Hickok was working in the Wild West Show. Hickok, on his part, was newly married at the time of his death, and by all accounts completely infatuated with his wife.
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==The Wild West Show and Calamity's later life: 1884-1903==
  
However, it is noteworthy that on September 6th, 1941 the U.S. Department of Public Welfare did grant old age assistance to a Jean Hickok Burkhardt McCormick, who claimed to be the legal offspring of Martha Jane Canary and James Butler Hickok, after being presented with evidence that Calamity Jane and Wild Bill had married at Benson's Landing, Montana Territory on September 25th, 1873, documentation being written in a Bible and signed by two reverends and numerous witnesses.   [http://nj.essortment.com/whowildbillhi_rgvu.htm] [http://womenshistory.about.com/od/westernamerica/p/calamity_jane.htm] [http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/cana-mar.htm]
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[[Image:Calamity Jane on a horse.gif|right|300px|thumb|Calamity Jane while working at [[Buffalo Bill]]'s Wild West show.]]
  
Jane also claimed that following Hickok's death, she went after [[Jack McCall]], his murderer, with a meat cleaver, having left her guns at her residence in the excitement of the moment.  However, she never confronted McCall, unless she did so by yelling at him after his arrest. Following McCall's eventual hanging for the offense, Jane continued living in the Deadwood area for some time, and at one point she did help save several passengers of an overland [[stagecoach]] by diverting several Plains Indians who were in pursuit of the stage. The stagecoach driver, John Slaughter, was killed during the pursuit, and Jane took over the reins and drove the stage on into its destination, at Deadwood. [http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/cana-mar.htm]  Also in late [[1876]], Jane nursed the victims of a [[smallpox]] epidemic in the Deadwood area.  
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In 1884, Jane moved to El Paso, Texas, where she met Clinton Burke. They married in August 1885, and had a daughter in 1887. The marriage, however, did not last, and by 1895 they were officially separated.  
  
==The Wild West Show and Calamity's later life: 1884-1903==
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Having the reputation for being able to handle a horse better than most men and shoot like a cowboy, her skills took her into  [[Buffalo Bill]]'s Wild West Show in 1895 where she performed sharp shooting astride her horse.  She toured [[Minneapolis]], then Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City, bringing to the stage the west as she had lived it. Unfortunately Jane often misbehaved to the point of being fired. The Wild West show was no exception.
  
[[Image:Calamity Jane on a horse.gif|left|200px|thumb|Calamity Jane while working at [[Buffalo Bill]]'s Wild West show.]]
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She traveled around the country and eventually, in 1903, died penniless and alone in Terry, South Dakota, near Deadwood, succumbing to complications from [[pneumonia]]. In accordance with her dying wish, she is buried next to [[Wild Bill Hickok]] in Mount Moriah Cemetery, overlooking the city of Deadwood.  
  
In [[1884]], Jane moved to [[El Paso, Texas]], where she met Clinton Burke. They married in August [[1885]] and had a daughter in [[1887]]. The marriage, however, did not last, and by [[1895]] they were officially separated.  
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Several films have been made about the life of Calamity Jane, the most famous being the musical of the same name starring Doris Day. The TV series ''Deadwood'' gives a realistic depiction of Jane.
  
In [[1896]], Calamity Jane began touring with [[Wild West]] shows, which she continued to do for the rest of her life. Throughout this period, she claimed to have been one of Hickok's closest friends, a story that over time became the version history most often remembered as fact. Jane died from complications of [[pneumonia]] in [[1903]]. In accordance with her dying wish, she is buried next to Wild Bill Hickok in [[Mount Moriah Cemetery (South Dakota)|Mount Moriah Cemetery]], overlooking the city of Deadwood.  
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==References ==
 +
* Aikman, Duncan.  ''Calamity Jane and the Lady Wildcats.''  Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, 1987, 1927. ISBN 0803210205
 +
* Ames, John Edward. ''The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns, and Other Characters of the Lawless West.'' New York: Chamberlain Bros., 2004. ISBN 1596090316
 +
* Butler, David. ''Calamity Jane.'' Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 1991. ISBN 0790704560
 +
* Calamity Jane. ''Calamity Jane's Letters to Her Daughter.'' San Lorenzo, California: Shameless Hussy Press, 1976. ISBN 0915288273
 +
* Edson, John Thomas. ''Ranch War.'' New York: HarperTorch, 2006. ISBN 0060784245
 +
* Lackmann, Ronald W. ''Women of the Western Frontier in Fact, Fiction, and Film'' Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1997. ISBN 0786404000
 +
* McLaird, James D. ''Calamity Jane: The Woman and the Legend'' Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2005. ISBN 0806135913
 +
* Mueller, Ellen Crago. ''Calamity Jane.'' Laramie, WY.: Jelm Mountain Press, 1981. ISBN 0936204281
 +
* Penrod, Diane. ''Miss Grundy Doesn't Teach Here Anymore: Popular Culture and the Composition Classroom.'' Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1997. ISBN  0867094389
 +
* Riley, Glenda and Richard W. Etulain. ''Wild Women of the Old West.'' Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum Pub., 2003. ISBN 1555912958
  
Several films have been made about the life of Calamity Jane, the most famous being the [[Calamity Jane (musical)|musical]] of the same name starring [[Doris Day]]. The TV series ''[[Deadwood (TV series)|Deadwood]]'' gives a more realistic and unglamorous — albeit still somewhat inaccurate — depiction of Jane.
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==External links==
 +
All links retrieved November 25, 2023.
  
==References to Calamity Jane in fiction==
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*[http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_calamity_jane.htm Calamity Jane biography at Women's History].  
* [[Wild ARMs]] features a character named Calamity Jane; however, she is, at best, very loosely inspired by the historical figure.
 
* Calamity Jane appears briefly in Thomas Berger's ''[[Little Big Man]]''
 
* Another freely adapted version of the lady appears in a couple of [[Lucky Luke]] albums. (In one of these she apparently admits to being one of the sources of the conflicting information about herself — when Luke finds her telling some other characters the story of her life, he wants to take a [[rain check]] because he's heard it before, but she urges him to sit down and listen because "this is a new version!")
 
* [[J.T. Edson]] features Calamity Jane as a character in a number of his books, as a stand alone character and also as a romantic interest of the character Mark Counter
 
* Jane is a central character in HBO's series, ''[[Deadwood (TV series)|Deadwood]]''.
 
* An incredibly short-lived animated adaptation of Calamity Jane's life, entitled The Legend Of Calamity Jane[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125628/], was produced in 1997. Although praised for its characterisation of Jane and distinctive style, it was pulled from the networks before its 13-episode run was finished, with only three episodes aired[http://www.tv.com/the-legend-of-calamity-jane/show/5419/episode_listings.html?tag=tabs;episodes].
 
  
==External links==
 
* [http://www.digitaldeadwood.com/historylink/people/jane.html Calamity Jane HistoryLink - Digital Deadwood]
 
*[http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_calamity_jane.htm Calamity Jane biography at Women's History]
 
* {{gutenberg author| id=Calamity+Jane | name=Calamity Jane}}
 
*{{gutenberg|no=490|name=Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane}}
 
*http://www.cowgirls.com/dream/cowgals/calamity.htm
 
*[http://deadwoodcalamityjane.blogspot.com/ Calamity Jane's Autobiography Historical Validation]
 
  
[[Category:History and biography]]
 
 
[[Category:Biography]]
 
[[Category:Biography]]
  
 
{{credit|89420327}}
 
{{credit|89420327}}

Latest revision as of 18:20, 25 November 2023


Calamity Jane at the age of 33. Photo by H.R. Locke

Martha Jane Canary-Burke, better known as Calamity Jane (May 1, 1852 - August 1, 1903), was a frontiers woman and professional scout. She gained fame fighting Native Americans. Many legends and stories have been told about her. It is difficult to sort fact from fiction in many cases, however she led a life of bravery and courage that few women of that time would have survived.

Early life

"Calamity" Jane was born Martha Jane Canary in Princeton, Missouri, the oldest of six children, having two brothers and three sisters. Jane was described as being attractive, with dark eyes. Her mother supplemented the family income by taking in washing from nearby mining camps. She died from pneumonia in 1866, and Jane's father died one year later in 1867. Jane lived for a time in Virginia City, Nevada. She received little to no formal education, but was literate. After her father's death, she took on the role as head of the household. At the age of sixteen she decided to moved her family to Fort Bridger, in Wyoming. She then moved them to Piedmont, Wyoming. She settled her siblings there and strove to create a home that would be welcoming.

Once the family was settled she moved on to a rougher, mostly outdoor adventurous life on the Great Plains. In 1870, she signed on as a scout, and adopted the uniform of a soldier. It is unclear whether she was actually enlisted in the United States Army at the time. From then on she mostly lost touch with her younger siblings, preferring to live a more wild and unsettled life. "Calamity Jane," as she would become known, lived a very colorful and eventful life. However, as historians have since discovered, she was gifted storyteller with a wonderful imagination and sometimes altered the facts to make her adventures more exciting to the listener.

Calamity's career

Jane wanted to be a soldier. She even went so far as dressing in mens clothing. She joined General George Custer in 1870 as a scout. Her first assignment was in Arizona for the "Indian Campaign." It was her job to force the Native Americans onto reservations.

In 1872, she was sent to Fort Sanders, Wyoming, where the scouts were ordered out to the Muscle Shell or Nursey Pursey Indian outbreak. That campaign, in which Generals Custer, Miles, Terry, and Crook were engaged, lasted until the fall of 1873. Next, they were stationed at Goose Creek, Wyoming. Jane added the "calamity" to her her name during this time. The troops were sent out to handle a Native American uprising. Several days later on the way back to their camp, they were ambushed by a large group of Indians. Captain Egan, who was in command, was shot and thrown from his horse. Jane immediately upon seeing Captain Egan fall galloped over to him and lifted him up onto her horse and brought him to safety. Captain Egan soon recovered and said, "I name you Calamity Jane, the heroine of the plains."

Deadwood, South Dakota and Wild Bill Hickok

In 1876, Calamity Jane left the army and settled in the area of Deadwood, South Dakota, in the Black Hills, and she became friends with Wild Bill Hickok and Charlie Utter, having traveled with them to Deadwood in Utter's wagon train. Calamity greatly admired Hickok and was keenly interested with his personality and life.

Jane was devastated when Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back of the head while gambling in Deadwood on the August 2, 1876. Hickok was holding a pair of eights and a pair of aces when he was killed, which would forever be known as a "dead man's hand." The town of Deadwood closed down for the funeral, as everyone was in attendance. Jack McCall was later hanged for the murder.

Jane claimed that following Hickok's death, she went after Jack McCall, with a meat cleaver, having left her guns at her residence in the excitement of the moment. Following McCall's hanging for the offense, Jane continued living in the Deadwood area for some time, and at one point she helped save several passengers of an overturned stagecoach by diverting several Plains Indians who were in pursuit of the stage. The stagecoach driver, John Slaughter, was killed during the pursuit, and Jane took over the reins and drove the stage on into its destination.

Deadwood was the site of some major gold strikes and Jane worked as a bull whacker, hauling machinery and supplies from town to the mining camps. She also worked as a pony express rider and carried the United States mail between Deadwood and Custer cities. It was a fifty-mile trail and considered to be one of the roughest trails in those famous Black Hills. Calamity Jane was well respected for her horsemanship and ability to make the trip quickly and with little incident. This gained her new respect and admiration in the Deadwood area.

The Wild West Show and Calamity's later life: 1884-1903

Calamity Jane while working at Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

In 1884, Jane moved to El Paso, Texas, where she met Clinton Burke. They married in August 1885, and had a daughter in 1887. The marriage, however, did not last, and by 1895 they were officially separated.

Having the reputation for being able to handle a horse better than most men and shoot like a cowboy, her skills took her into Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1895 where she performed sharp shooting astride her horse. She toured Minneapolis, then Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City, bringing to the stage the west as she had lived it. Unfortunately Jane often misbehaved to the point of being fired. The Wild West show was no exception.

She traveled around the country and eventually, in 1903, died penniless and alone in Terry, South Dakota, near Deadwood, succumbing to complications from pneumonia. In accordance with her dying wish, she is buried next to Wild Bill Hickok in Mount Moriah Cemetery, overlooking the city of Deadwood.

Several films have been made about the life of Calamity Jane, the most famous being the musical of the same name starring Doris Day. The TV series Deadwood gives a realistic depiction of Jane.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Aikman, Duncan. Calamity Jane and the Lady Wildcats. Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, 1987, 1927. ISBN 0803210205
  • Ames, John Edward. The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns, and Other Characters of the Lawless West. New York: Chamberlain Bros., 2004. ISBN 1596090316
  • Butler, David. Calamity Jane. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 1991. ISBN 0790704560
  • Calamity Jane. Calamity Jane's Letters to Her Daughter. San Lorenzo, California: Shameless Hussy Press, 1976. ISBN 0915288273
  • Edson, John Thomas. Ranch War. New York: HarperTorch, 2006. ISBN 0060784245
  • Lackmann, Ronald W. Women of the Western Frontier in Fact, Fiction, and Film Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1997. ISBN 0786404000
  • McLaird, James D. Calamity Jane: The Woman and the Legend Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2005. ISBN 0806135913
  • Mueller, Ellen Crago. Calamity Jane. Laramie, WY.: Jelm Mountain Press, 1981. ISBN 0936204281
  • Penrod, Diane. Miss Grundy Doesn't Teach Here Anymore: Popular Culture and the Composition Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1997. ISBN 0867094389
  • Riley, Glenda and Richard W. Etulain. Wild Women of the Old West. Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum Pub., 2003. ISBN 1555912958

External links

All links retrieved November 25, 2023.

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