Project Gutenberg's Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, by Calamity Jane

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Title: Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane

Author: Calamity Jane

Posting Date: July 21, 2008 [EBook #490]
Release Date: April, 1996

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF CALAMITY JANE ***

LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF CALAMITY JANE

BY

HERSELF

My maiden name was Marthy Cannary. I was born in Princeton, Missourri,
May 1st, 1852. Father and mother were natives of Ohio. I had two
brothers and three sisters, I being the oldest of the children. As a
child I always had a fondness for adventure and out-door exercise and
especial fondness for horses which I began to ride at an early age and
continued to do so until I became an expert rider being able to ride
the most vicious and stubborn of horses, in fact the greater portion of
my life in early times was spent in this manner.

In 1865 we emigrated from our homes in Missourri by the overland route
to Virginia City, Montana, taking five months to make the journey.
While on the way the greater portion of my time was spent in hunting
along with the men and hunters of the party, in fact I was at all times
with the men when there was excitement and adventures to be had. By
the time we reached Virginia City I was considered a remarkable good
shot and a fearless rider for a girl of my age. I remember many
occurrences on the journey from Missourri to Montana. Many times in
crossing the mountains the conditions of the trail were so bad that we
frequently had to lower the wagons over ledges by hand with ropes for
they were so rough and rugged that horses were of no use. We also had
many exciting times fording streams for many of the streams in our way
were noted for quicksands and boggy places, where, unless we were very
careful, we would have lost horses and all. Then we had many dangers
to encounter in the way of streams swelling on account of heavy rains.
On occasions of that kind the men would usually select the best places
to cross the streams, myself on more than one occasion have mounted my
pony and swam across the stream several times merely to