Shooting Contest, July 1999

Annie Oakley Days

On August 13, 1860, Phoebe Ann ("Annie") Moses was born in a weatherbeaten log cabin in Darke County, Ohio. When Annie was eight years old, she learned to use her father's old 40-inch cap-and-ball Kentucky rifle to furnish the family with fresh game, becoming so proficient that she paid off the mortgage on her mother's home near North Star with the game she sold. In the fall of 1875 she was invited to take part in a shooting match in Cincinnati with Frank Butler, a champion marksman. She not only won the match but the heart of Butler, and they were married a year later. Assuming the name "Annie Oakley," she and her husband formed a shooting act known as "Butler and Oakley." Annie became an expert horsewoman, and in March 1885, she and Frank joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, with which they traveled and performed throughout the United States for 17 years. Badly injured in a train accident in 1901, upon her recuperation, Annie performed in a stage play in New York City. She continued to hunt, teach marksmanship, and give shooting exhibitions for charity. She died in Greenville, Darke County, Ohio, on November 23, 1926.

Every year since 1963 the volunteer-run Annie Oakley Committee of Greenville honors "Little Miss Sure Shot" - a name given Annie by Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull - with Annie Oakley Days. Events include shooting contests, a parade, rodeo, antiques shows, a farmers' market, musical entertainment, historical tours and a kiddie tractor pull. Project documentation comprise written material on Annie Oakley and the Annie Oakley Committee, photographs, a commemorative photo tour brochure of historic sites around Greenville and Darke County, a program from the 1999 event, newspaper coverage, souvenir tickets, an entry form for the shooting contest, and a videotape.

Originally submitted by: John A. Boehner, Representative (8th District).

More Local Legacies... Additional Ohio Local Legacies Local Legacies for all U.S. States

The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.

Learn More About It... Related Web Site