Richard W. Etulain

Martha Jane Canary — the woman better known as Calamity Jane — is one of those figures who is both famous and obscure at the same time. A national figures in her early twenties, she was subject matter for several authors, all of whom drew upon their imagination rather than the facts when constructing their accounts. Jane herself contributed to the obfuscating of her biography, as her own accounts (including a short dictated autobiography) often were a mix of truth and fantasy with no way for readers to distinguish between them.

Establishing the correct details of Calamity Jane's life remains a challenging prospect, largely because the paucity of reliable sources and the challenges in verifying them. This leaves gaps in Richard Etulain's coverage of Jane's life, as he freely admits. What is left, though, provides an account of a tough, hard-living woman whose peripatetic life was often defined by her alcoholism. Born in Missouri, she was orphaned at an early age and left to tend to her younger brother. A fortuitous journey to Deadwood, South Dakota, in 1876 brought her into the national spotlight, as her brief association with Wild Bill Hickok and her own remarkable behavior drew the attention of several writers at a time when Americans were becoming fascinated by events on the frontier. Though she benefited from the fame in a number of ways, her legendary reputation did not alleviate her problems with alcohol or poverty, and she died at the age of 51 in 1903.

Etulain's book would be worthwhile reading just for his effort to separate the truth of Martha Canary's life from the legend of Calamity Jane. Yet its greatest strength is his coverage of the construction of that legend, Starting with the Deadwood Dick novels of Edward Wheeler, he chronicles the fictional depictions of adventures, both during her life and in the decades that have followed since her death. His analysis shows the evolution of her image, one that often reflected more the mores of the times than any effort to recount the truth. Together they make for a solid study of the life and legend of a woman whose fame has far outlasted the short and often tragic life that she lived.… (mere)

As a history buff, I found BY GRIT & GRACE: Eleven Women Who Shaped the American West (Fulcrum Publishing) to be informative about the women profiled therein. Each of them in some way influenced the culture of the western United States during the nineteenth century. The book is edited by Glenda Riley and by Richard W. Etulain, who is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New Mexico. Etulain is also the author and editor of over forty books, including BEYOND THE MISSOURI: The Story of the American West.
While many books about the western frontier focus on the notorious men who were leaders in the formative years, there were many women who independently broke ground and made their voices and leadership known.
The biographies are interesting and have helpful, detailed “Sources and Further Reading” at the end of each of them. Included are well-known women like Annie Oakley (who was actually an Eastern woman who promoted the ‘concept’ of what a Western woman was like) and now-obscure women like Gertrudis Barceló, the leading monte-bank dealer in the Mexican territory of New Mexico in the 1830s.
Although this is could be considered an introductory type of book for western history and women’s history buffs, with guidance to more detailed studies, I think anyone would find this an enjoyable read.
I was especially interested in Abigail Scott Duniway, a determined woman’s suffragist and after 40 years of campaigning, the first female voter in Oregon in 1914. I plan to use the listed sources to further my knowledge of this courageous woman. Even the profiled women whose convictions are in opposition to mine were helpful in forming an overall understanding of this country during the 1800s.
Recommended!
… (mere)

As a history buff, I found BY GRIT & GRACE: Eleven Women Who Shaped the American West (Fulcrum Publishing) to be informative about the women profiled therein. Each of them in some way influenced the culture of the western United States during the nineteenth century. The book is edited by Glenda Riley and by Richard W. Etulain, who is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New Mexico. Etulain is also the author and editor of over forty books, including BEYOND THE MISSOURI: The Story of the American West.
While many books about the western frontier focus on the notorious men who were leaders in the formative years, there were many women who independently broke ground and made their voices and leadership known.
The biographies are interesting and have helpful, detailed “Sources and Further Reading” at the end of each of them. Included are well-known women like Annie Oakley (who was actually an Eastern woman who promoted the ‘concept’ of what a Western woman was like) and now-obscure women like Gertrudis Barceló, the leading monte-bank dealer in the Mexican territory of New Mexico in the 1830s.
Although this is could be considered an introductory type of book for western history and women’s history buffs, with guidance to more detailed studies, I think anyone would find this an enjoyable read.
I was especially interested in Abigail Scott Duniway, a determined woman’s suffragist and after 40 years of campaigning, the first female voter in Oregon in 1914. I plan to use the listed sources to further my knowledge of this courageous woman. Even the profiled women whose convictions are in opposition to mine were helpful in forming an overall understanding of this country during the 1800s.
Recommended!
… (mere)

Just as the title implies, this collection of biographical essays relates the lives and adventures of eleven women who had a significant impact on the American West or helped to shape the mythology of the Wild West. Both Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane are included, as well as many other amazing women with a variety of nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

It's a good set of essays, though it tends to be very dry. What it lacks in easy reading entertainment it makes up for with the attempt to be historically accurate. The essays represent good introductions to these women and their lives and each directs the reader to biographies and other further reading, noting those works that are based on the most factual sources, for anyone inspired to learn more.… (mere)