Oakley, Annie (1860–1926)

Annie Oakley was one of America's most accomplished shooters and a Wild West show star. Born Annie Moses to Jacob and Susan Moses in Darke County, Ohio, she learned to shoot at the age of 8, providing her family with needed revenue as a meat hunter selling to Charles Leopold Katzenberger, who shipped her dressed game to Cincinnati hotels. Annie's abilities as a sharpshooter, in fact, saved the family farm from the bank, paying with nickels and dimes when the mortgage came due. Annie turned to the more lucrative business of circus shooting after defeating Frank Butler, a professional stage shooter, in an 1876 match. Annie married Frank on August 23, 1876, and began touring with him. Her big break into national fame began in ...