|
Martha Jane Canary or Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman and professional scout, known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, and fighting for Native Americans. Late in her life, she appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. She is said to have always exhibited kindness and compassion to others, especially to the sick and needy. This facet of her character, contrasted with her daredevil ways, helped make her a noted frontier figure. She was also known for her habit of wearing men's attire. == Early life == Much of the information about the early years of Calamity Jane's life comes from the autobiographical booklet she dictated in 1896, which was written for publicity purposes. She was about to begin a tour in which she would appear in dime museums around the United States, and the pamphlet was intended to help attract audiences. Some of the information in the pamphlet is exaggerated, or even completely inaccurate. Calamity Jane was born on May1, 1852, as Martha Jane Canary (or Cannary) in Princeton, within Mercer County, Missouri. Her parents, Robert W. and Charlotte (Burch) Cannary, were listed in the 1860 census as living about further northeast of Princeton in Ravanna. Martha Jane was the eldest of six children, having two brothers and three sisters. In 1865, Robert and his family moved by wagon train from Missouri to Virginia City, Montana. In 1866, Charlotte died along the way in Blackfoot, Montana, of pneumonia. After arriving in Virginia City in the spring of 1866, Robert took his six children on to Salt Lake City, Utah. They arrived in the summer, and Robert supposedly started farming on of land. The family had only been in Salt Lake City for a year, when he died in 1867. At age 14, Martha Jane took charge of her five younger siblings, loaded up their wagon once more, and took the family to Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory, where they arrived in May 1868. From there, they traveled on the Union Pacific Railroad to Piedmont, Wyoming. In Piedmont, Martha Jane took whatever jobs she could find to provide for her large family. She worked as a dishwasher, cook, waitress, dance-hall girl, nurse, and ox team driver, and she delivered mail for the pony express. Finally, in 1874, she found work as a scout at Fort Russell. During that time, Jane also began her on-and-off employment as a prostitute at the Fort Laramie Three-Mile Hog Ranch. Accounts from that period described Martha Jane as being "extremely attractive" and a "pretty, dark-eyed girl." Martha Jane received little to no formal education and was illiterate. She moved on to a rougher, mostly outdoor, adventurous life on the Great Plains. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Calamity Jane」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|