Annie Oakley

Born: August 13, 1860, near Willowdell (formerly Woodland), Ohio
Died: November 3, 1926 (age 66), Greenville, Ohio

Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey) was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.

What do you know about Annie Oakley?  Try this US Old West History Made Easy Quiz.  "Check Your Answers" at the end of the page.

Take 2 points for each right answer.  Maximum this page: 20 points!

1) Jacob Mosey, Annie's father, died from pneumonia and overexposure in freezing weather.
What year did he die?

1. 1866

2. 1870

3. 1876

2) Oakley began hunting at age nine to support her siblings and her widowed mother.  She sold the hunting game to locals for money, and her skill eventually paid off the mortgage on her mother's house.

• True or False?

3) During the spring of 1881, the Baughman and Butler shooting act was being performed in Cincinnati.  Traveling show marksman and former dog trainer Francis "Frank" E. Butler placed a $100 bet per side (roughly equivalent to modern US$2,000) with Cincinnati hotel owner Jack Frost, that Butler, age 31, could beat any local fancy shooter.  He arranged a match with Lillian Smith.

• True or False?

4) Frank Butler began courting Oakley, and they married in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
What day did they get married?

1. February 6, 1882

2. June 20, 1882

3. July 4, 1882

5) Annie and Frank joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1885.  At 5 feet tall, Oakley was given the nickname of "Watanya Cicilla" by a fellow performer, becoming "Little Sure Shot" in the public advertisements. 
Who is credited in giving her the name?

1. Will Rogers

2. Wild Bill Hickok

3. Sitting Bull

6) At the start with Buffalo Bill, who was she a rival with?

1. Tom Mix

2. Lillian Smith

3. Ovis Mathews

7) In 1901, Oakley was also badly injured in a railway crash, but she fully recovered after temporary paralysis and five spinal operations. She left the Buffalo Bill show and began a quieter acting career in a stage play written especially for her.
What was the play?

1. Cowgirl Heaven

2. The Western Girl

3. The Way of the West

8) In 1903, sensational cocaine prohibition stories were selling well.  The newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst published a false story that Oakley had been arrested for stealing to support a cocaine habit.

• True or False?

9) What was the cause of Annie Oakley's death?

1. Pernicious anemia

2. Lung Cancer

3. Rifle accident

10) Where is Annie Oakley buried?

1. Brock Cemetery, Greenville, Ohio

2. Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum, Altadena, California

3. Greenville Union Cemetery, Greenville, Ohio

Annie Oakley
[Answers]

1) A.  2) True  3) False.  The match was with Annie.  4) B.  5) C.  6) B.  7) B.  8) False. The woman actually arrested was a burlesque performer who told Chicago police that her name was "Annie Oakley". The original Annie Oakley spent much of the next six years winning 54 of 55 libel lawsuits against newspapers. 
9) A.  10) A.

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