The document discusses the roles and experiences of women in the Wild West in the mid to late 19th century. Though traditionally thought to be restricted to domestic duties, some women took on non-traditional roles like outlaws, advocates, gamblers, and prostitutes. Specific women discussed include Belle Starr, an outlaw who robbed banks and stole horses; Abigail Scott Duniway, a women's rights advocate who established her own newspaper; and Calamity Jane, who turned to prostitution and cross-dressing to support herself. The document also discusses gamblers like Lottie Deno and Eleanor Dumont, and stagecoach driver Charley Parkhurst, who lived disguised as a

1. Women of The West
By: Kayla DeLonjay

2. Culture of the Wild West (Women)
The Wild West took place in the mid to late 19th century. Due to the time
period, women were thought to be restricted to household work, as well as
caring for the children. Though this was accurate in some cases, the Wild
West was a completely different culture and experience for those moving
to the frontier. However, the Wild West was also the beginning of the
elimination of gender stereotypes which paved the way for both women
outlaws, and women advocates.

3. The Bandit
Queen
“Belle Starr,” born Myra Belle Shirley, was a
typical good girl gone wrong. Born and raised in
Missouri, she was a bright well educated woman
that was professionally trained in music and
classical language. In her twenties she fell in love
and joined the bank robbing gang called the
“Youngers”. She was also known steal horses
and cattle. She spent 5 months in prison and was
murdered in 1889 by an unknown assailant.
Belle Starr. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

4. “I regard myself as a
woman who has seen
much of life.”
-Belle Starr
Belle Starr Wanted Poster. Digital image. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

5. Abigail Scott
Duniway
Abigail Scott Duniway was a leader in one of the
first women's movements. After resettling in the
west, she began to read avidly and write her own
books such as “Captain Gray’s Company or
Crossing the Plains and Living in Oregon”. In
1870, she established her own newspaper titled
“New Northwest”. She was recognized by
Washington D.C. as a leading women's advocate
in 1886. She fought for equality in every aspect
from property rights to domestic rights, and in
1912 at the age of 78, she was the first woman
registered to vote in her county of Oregon. Abigail Scott Duniway. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17
Feb. 2016.

6. “The debt that each
generation owes to the
past, it must pay to the
future.”
-Abigail Scott Duniway
Abigail Scott Duniway. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web.
17 Feb. 2016.

7. The Gambler
Lottie Deno, was the daughter of a wealthy
plantation owner, from whom she acquired
her gambling skills. After his death, she
traveled to Detroit and became an itinerant
gambler. This eventually led her to San
Antonio, Texas. She gained the reputation
of a witty gambler and even played against
professionals such as, Doc Holliday. After
marrying Frank Thurmond in 1880, she
traded her life of sinister gambling for
being the founder of the local Episcopal
Church. Lottie Deno. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016

8. The character, Miss Kitty, from the
hit television show, “Gunsmoke,” is
said to have been based off of Lottie
Deno.
Lottie Deno. Digital image. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Amanda Blake. Digital image. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
The Gambler
Takes the Big
Screen

9. The Driver
Charley Parkhurst was a renowned
stagecoach driver. Parkhurst was
commonly referred to as “One Eyed
Charley” due to a horsing accident that
disfigured her eye. It wasn't until her death
in 1879 that the public discovered, Charley,
was in fact a woman. She remained
disguised as a man for her entire life.
Probable cause for this was the occupation
in which she held that was mainly a man's
job as it required more skill and paid higher
wages.
Lady Charley. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

10. Due to the common belief that
Charley was a male, she was in fact
registered to vote in the state of
California. There is speculation by
many that, Charley Parkhurst, was
the first woman registered to vote in
the state of California.
Making History
Gustavson, Adam. Rough, Tough Charley. Digital image. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

11. Annie Oakley
Ohio native, born August 13, 1860, Phoebe Ann
Moses developed a sharp shot from a very early
age. Though she was educated and attended
sewing school; her true passion lied in the woods.
As a teenager, Oakley, raised enough earnings
from shooting to pay off her widowed mother's
home. Annie, eventually went on to teach 15,000
fellow females to shoot and handle a gun. She
was a star in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Shows, and
she was commonly referred to as “Little Sure
Shot,” being that this fierce woman stood a
staggering five feet tall. A woman so self
sufficient, and better at a male dominated task
than most men, was definitely not a force to be
reckoned with.
Annie Oakley: Wild West and Famous Friends. Digital image. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

12. “I ain’t afraid to love
a man, I ain’t afraid
to shoot him,
either.”
-Annie Oakley
“Aim at a high
mark and you'll
hit it.”
-Annie Oakley

13. Prostitution in the Wild West
❏ Many women that lived in the Wild West turned to prostitution as a way to
support themselves. The West as a society lacked many morals, and this led to
the uprising of women selling themselves for profit. Most businesses in the
West included bars and saloons, as well as gambling joints and brothels.
Brothels, more often than not, were actually owned by women which is
extremely surprising. These houses would often host Wild West gangsters,
rebels, and bad boys like Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, Wyatt Earp, Jesse
James, and Doc Holliday. These types of businesses did not attract the best of
people, therefore, causing the rates of prostitution to increase. Common
names for prostitutes included Soiled Doves, Sportin’ Women, Prairie Doves,
and Frail Sisters.

14. The Madam
By the age of fifteen, Fannie Porter was a
prostitute in San Antonio, Texas. Porter
owned a “boarding house” which housed
herself, as well as five other women.
Though the outer appearance of this house
was always ship shape, the goings on of
the inside were anything but normal. Many
knew what was happening at this
establishment, but Porter was flawlessly
discrete. Frequent customers included
Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, and Billy and
the Sundance Kid. Fannie Porter. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb.
2016.

15. February of 1901, is said to be the
last time that Butch Cassidy and his
crew of outlaws visited Fannie
Porter’s brothel. It was then that she
held a fabulous farewell party for her
well paying, and most loyal
customers.Butch Cassidy and The Wild Bunch. Digital image. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Only The Best For
The Worst

16. Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane, gained the reputation
of a heavy drinker early in life. By the
age of twelve, both parents had died
and this loss caused her to have to
fend for herself by all means
necessary. In her early life she turned
to prostitution as a way to support
herself. She is said to have had an
extremely friendly relationship with
Wild West Legend, Wild Bill Hickok.
Calamity Jane. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

17. Calamity Jane...
The Crossdresser?
Yes, Calamity Jane was a cross dresser. In
order to support herself, she took any and all
jobs she could. Due to the time period in
which she lived in, many jobs were only open
to men, especially the higher paying jobs. So,
she would often dress as a man and use her
God given masculine characteristics to
increase her chances of employment in
predominantly male occupations.

18. Big Nose Kate
Originally born in Hungary, Mary Catherine Elder Haroney
was the daughter of a wealthy family. Her father was a
well respected doctor and appointed by Mexican
Emperor, Maximilian, to be his personal surgeon in 1862,
thus causing the family to relocate. Maximilian’s rule was
soon over and her family was forced to flee Mexico and
travel to Davenport, Iowa. After the death of both of her
parents in the same year, Kate and her siblings were
placed in foster homes. She decided to runaway and
eventually became a dance hall girl and prostitute. She
was thought to have had romantic relationships with Wild
West bad boys, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Her
nickname “Big Nose Kate” came from her male “clients”
as a way of recognizing her due to her prominent nose.
Big Nose Kate. Digital image. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

19. ❏ Though Mary Catherine Elder Haroney’s most
common nickname was “Big Nose Kate,” she
also went by Kate Fisher, Nosey Kate, Mrs.
John H, Kate Melvin, and Kate Cummings.
❏ While in her teens, Big Nose Kate ran away
several times. She once was a stow away on a
steamship that was en route to St. Louis. It was
here that she gained the alias “Kate Fisher”
after the captain that discovered her on board.
Mary Catherine Elder Haroney. Digital image. N.
p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Fun
Facts

20. The Blackjack
Dealer
Eleanor Dumont is a mysterious Wild
West character. She was an extremely
private woman and nobody's exactly
sure where she came from. She
owned a Blackjack parlor in Nevada
City, California. No woman, besides
herself, was allowed in her parlor.
She was known as “Madame
Moustache” due to the hair that grew
on her upper lip.
Eleanor Dumont. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

21. Dumont fell in love with a local con man
named, Jack McKnight. After marriage,
McKnight, decided to sell the ranch that
Dumont had purchased previous to their
joining. After this awful business transaction,
Dumont lost her fortune and McKnight left. She
later tracked him down and murdered him,
though, she was never formally charged. She
began to drink heavily and turned to
prostitution. After a bad hand of Blackjack on
money borrowed, Dumont committed suicide.
Bad Deal
Madame Moustache. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

22. Works Cited
"Belle Starr Murdered in Oklahoma." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
"Belle Starr - The Bandit Queen." Belle Starr - The Bandit Queen. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
"Katie Elder." Tombstone Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"PORTER, FANNIE." SELCER, RICHARD F. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Six Wild Women of the Wild West." Mental Floss. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Soiled Doves of the Old West." Soiled Doves of the Old West. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
“Western Women”. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Wild West Legendary Women." Abigail Scott Duniway. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Wild West Legendary Women." Big Nose Kate. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Wild Women of the West." History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.