Cracked BuckeyeCracked Buckeye

Ohio inventions and firsts · Achievement · 1875-1885

Annie Oakley sharpshooting

Phoebe Ann Mosey, born August 13, 1860 in Darke County, beat marksman Frank Butler near Greenville as a teen, married him, and joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1885; she died in Greenville in 1926 and is buried at Brock Cemetery.

At a glance

Year
1875-1885
By
Annie Oakley
Place
Greenville, Darke County ZIP 45331 · Greenville · Darke County

The story

Phoebe Ann Mosey was born in 1860 in rural Ohio. Her family was poor, and she began hunting as a child to help feed them. She became so accurate that by fifteen she beat an experienced marksman, Frank E. Butler, in a shooting match, and later married him.

She took the name Annie Oakley and joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in 1885, soon one of its highest earners apart from Buffalo Bill. Sitting Bull gave her the name Watanya Cicilla, Little Sure Shot. Her act included splitting playing cards and hitting moving targets.

A serious train accident in 1901 sent her toward theater work. She believed women should be able to defend themselves, and reportedly taught more than 15,000 women to shoot. She is quoted: I would like to see every woman know how to handle guns as naturally as they know how to handle babies.

She died in Greenville, Ohio in 1926 and was buried at Brock Cemetery. The Garst Museum and the Annie Oakley Memorial Plaza in Greenville remember her, and her life inspired the musical Annie Get Your Gun.

Timeline

  • 1860-08-13: Phoebe Ann Mosey is born in Darke County, Ohio. (Darke County, OH) source
  • 1875: At fifteen she beats marksman Frank Butler in a shooting contest. (Greenville / Cincinnati, OH) source
  • 1885: Oakley joins Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. source
  • 1901: A serious train accident leads her toward theater performances. source
  • 1926: Oakley dies in Greenville; she is buried at Brock Cemetery. (Greenville, OH) source

What it changed

  • Reportedly taught over 15,000 women to shoot.
  • Inspired the musical Annie Get Your Gun.

Why it matters

Wild West star.

Places in Ohio to see

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.