Calamity Jane

Martha Jane Canary-Burke, more popularly known as Calamity Jane - heroine of the wild west - has probably been made more famous for the stories about her rather then her real life adventures. Born May 1, 1853 as the oldest of 6 children in Princeton, Missouri, Calamity Jane became the primary caregiver of her siblings at the age of 16 when her parents passed away. She had very little education in her youth but could, in fact, read. She moved her siblings to Piedmont, Wyoming and settled them into life there, going on to begin her adventurous and infamous life.

Breaking down the barriers between men and women, Jane chose men's clothing and an outdoor life. In 1870 she began what would become an exaggerated life of wild and unsettled adventure. Most of her more popular associations, like that of General Custer, have since proven to be the product of Jane's grand fabrications. She did sign on to become a Scout and take on the uniform of a soldier and from that point on she lost touch with her siblings. Most of her stories about the conflicts with Native Americans were told by Jane herself and received much criticism by those around her.

One true story is that in 1875 she became ill after an important mission for General Crook, where she swam the Platte River and then proceeded to travel 90 miles, cold and wet. After recovering she rode on to Fort Laramie, Wyoming and then joined a wagon train headed north. It's there that she met Bill Hickok, more famously known as Wild Bill.

Jane's stories about Wild Bill were fodder for the rumor mill as well. After Bill was killed during a poker game Jane went on to claim that they had been married and had a child together. As it turned out Jane was a Scout during the time she claimed to be pregnant and Bill had gotten married to another woman shortly before his death so the story was met with great skepticism. However, a Jean Hickok Burkhardt McCormick was granted old age assistance in 1941 with proof that she was the daughter of Martha Jane Canary and James Butler Hickok.

After Bill's death Jane continued to live in Deadwood for a while. In 1884 she moved to El Paso, Texas where she met and married Clinton Burke. They had a daughter together but were officially separated by 1895. In 1896 she began her career in touring Wild West shows, which she would do for the rest of her life. It was here that the grandiose stories about her life with Wild Bill Hickok were told by her and became fact, whether they were or not.

The origin of the name "Calamity Jane" is as speculative as was her life. According to Jane herself she was given the name in 1873 by Captain Egan who said "I name you Calamity Jane, the heroine of the plains". Other reports suggest she got the name because "if she sat on a fence rail, it would rare up and buck her off". And yet others claim that it was due to her great affinity for causing a ruckus no matter where she went.

Jane died of pneumonia in 1903, and in accordance to her dying wish she was buried next to Wild Bill Hickok in Mount Moriah Cemetery. She is remembered in movies, television, song, theater and even video games. The fantastic stories Jane told about her adventures, whether they are true or not, are indeed the stuff of legends.