Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-06-19
BY TACETTA b. WALKER
can Rights Reserved

notorious woman Of the wes
during the seventies and thI
eighties. One 0ld-timer claim
that Bill Nye gave her the mann
In his paper, the Laramie Boomerang
Another version claims that the sObri
quet was received while she was will
the Custer campaign. She had rescuet
Captain Egan from certain death BY
the Indians and upon his recovery hi
called her to him to thank her.
You're a mighty good person to have
around In time Of Calamity" he told
her, "and so I hereby christen vou
Calamity Jane, the heroine OF the
plains"
The most accepted version Of the
name seems to be that in almost every
affair where there was fighting or that
required quick action, you we're sure
to find Calamity Jane in the thickest
of the fray.
Calamity James father was a min
lister and If there is any truth in the
pr0Verbial minister's son, certainly Ca
lamity Jane strove to fulfill the adage.
She was the oldest Of five children. AS
a child she had a great fondness for
outdoor exercise and an especial fond
ness for horses. BY the time she was
grown she could ride the most vicious
of horses.
Father Killed by Redskins
The Canary family came up near
Miners Delight where the father was
killed by the Indians. The mother was
left with several children. Marthy Jane,
later known as Calamity Jane, grew
up in a wild, unsettled country, where
Indian raids were the order of the day
and shooting affairs of daily occur
renee. 1t is not to be wondered at that
this girl drifted into the rough life OF
western army posts, mining camps and
COW towns At the age Of Is, she had
lived a Lifetime of experiences, knew
the seamy side Of life, the thrill of ad-
venture and had dragged her feet IN
Along about 1870, Calamity Jane
threw away her womans clothes for
mems and joined Gen. A. Custer as a
teamster. At this time she smoked, |
drank, gambled and upon necessity
fought like wildcat. While with Gus
ter, she gained the distinction Of be- |
ing the first white woman to enter the /
Black Hills, a then dangerous and un- |
known territory Many times, immi- |
grants, freighters or travellers had her |
to thank for saving their lives. She was (
not a woman to be tampered with as
many found out.
on one occasion she watched a mule
skinner beating his animals. She walked |
over and told him to go easy on the I
mules. In his rage, the skinner flecked /
off Calamity's hat with his whiplash. |
Before he quite realized what was |
happening he was looking down the 1
barrel Of the woman's six
shooter and was hearing her voice cool |
but hard. drawling, PUT that hat back |
where you got 1t"
There was not a moments hesitation /
on the SINNERS part as he looked into /
her cool eyes. He stopped and picked |
up the hat, replacing it on Calamitys [
head Later, he apologized.
Six-ShOOter Her Best Friend
In the days when she rode on the
frontier, her gun as her best friend,
she had many encounters with Indians
and deSperadoes. More than once, her
timely help saved the stage. One of her
most thrilling rescueS took place in the |
Black Hills in 1876 as she was riding
toward Crook City. She had proceed
ed about II miles from Deadwood when
she met the Overland mail on its regu-
lar route between Cheyenne and Dead
wood. The horses were on the dead
.un and were being pursued by the In
1ianS. Calamity Jane succeeded in get
ing them stopped. The driver, Jack
was lying face down on the
boot Of the stage, shot by the Indians.
speedily removed all the bag
5ce5C C&AIEHJ Jl1C Alldl1 ulu6J kU I
through at all hazards. Then she took ,
he drivers seat and dashed away to ,
Oeadwood getting there in safety with
Ter six white-faced passengers and the !
Wounded driver.
Another episode Of those early days,
howing the GOODNESS Of this frontier
1oman took place while she was riding
nth man known as Antelope Frank t
he two found themselves surrounded =
y Indians. They tried to outdistance '
he savageS but Antelope's horse fell "
lto a ditch and broke its leg.
ride for your life" Antelope yelled. i
I can take care of myself"
Damned if I WILL" Calamity re- c
lied. I'm stay right here with you and L
ell see how many Of those devils we '
an drop" b
They opened fire on the attackers q
nd were able TO drive them off, kill '
1g five of their number. {
Led a Checkered Career !.
Calamity was destined to lead a b
heckered career. Where love was con- o
erned. adversely seemed to. dog her =
racks. One thing was certain that \
he men with whom she lived did not +
rant for variety. She gave them all the +
pice Of life. Some accounts say she r
7as married as many as three times I
ut at least there is one authentic /
marriage. Yet 1t was not to this mar {
iage that she brought her love. Ca '
4