Lillian Smith (trick Shooter)

Lillian Frances Smith (August 4, 1871 – February 3, 1930)''America's Best Female Sharpshooter: The Rise and Fall of Lillian Frances Smith'' by Julia Bricklin, University of Oklahoma Press, , 2017, William F. Cody Series on the history and culture of the American West, page 15; Retrieved May 9, 2017. was a young trick shooter and trick rider who joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1886, at the age of fourteen. She was billed as "the champion California huntress,"Biography of Lillian Smith in "Annie Oakley"
on the PBS website dedicated to the '' American Experience'' series, originally broadcast on 8 May 2006. and was a direct rival to Annie Oakley in the show.

Biography

Lillian Frances Smith was born in 1871 in Coleville, California to Levi Woodbury Smith, Jr. and Rebecca T. Robinson, the third of four children.Ancestry.com, 1870 United States Federal Census
Retrieved Dec. 29, 2014.Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Birth Records (1840-1915)
Retrieved Feb. 19, 2015. Her parents were originally from Massachusetts and moved to Coleville in 1867.Ancestry.com, 1900 United States Federal Census
Retrieved Dec. 29, 2014.Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Marriage Records (1840-1915)
Retrieved Dec. 29, 2014. Smith began shooting at the age of 7 and was already competing by the age of 10. In 1886, at the age of 15, she joined '' Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show'', where she met her rival, Annie Oakley. Apparently, Smith and Oakley were never on very friendly terms; Smith was a braggart and at one point declared "Annie Oakley was done for." Moreover, in contrast to Oakley, who was an extremely conservative dresser, Smith enjoyed flashy clothing and had a reputation as a "shameless flirt." Both Smith and Oakley traveled to Great Britain with the ''Wild West Show'' and met Queen Victoria in 1887. Smith's poor performance at the annual Wimbledon rifle competition (as opposed to Oakley's favorable performance) brought mocking coverage by both the British and American press. A friend of Smith attempted to reverse the roles of Smith and Oakley in his recounting of the competition (and London's reception), but the claims received public responses by reputable sources. Smith left the show in 1889 (when Oakley returned to it).

In 1907, Smith moved permanently to Oklahoma and became a fixture with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show, performing as "Princess Wenona", a fictionalized Sioux princess. However, she continued to perform in other shows like Pawnee Bill's. After another 13 years as a record-setting sharpshooter and performer, Smith retired around 1920 and died in 1930 in Ponca City, Oklahoma, the home town of the 101 Ranch. She is buried at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Ponca City.Find-A-Grave (Lillian Frances Smith)
Retrieved Dec. 27, 2014. Her grave was unmarked until a monumental headstone was placed there in 1999 by the 101 Ranch Old Timers Association.NewsOK (August 21, 1999), ''Rifelewoman's Grave Found In Cemetery In Ponca City'' by Michael McNutt
Retrieved Dec. 29, 2014. Another source mentions there was a small headstone with the name "P. Wenona" buried under the grass over time since her interment.
July 18, 2014], Retrieved Feb. 20, 2015.

Smith was in at least four relationships throughout her life. She was formally married to James "Jim Kid" Willoughby and had common-law marriage, common-law relationships with her other three husbands.''America's Best Female Sharpshooter: The Rise and Fall of Lillian Frances Smith'' by Julia Bricklin, University of Oklahoma Press, , 2017; Retrieved Jun. 24, 2022. The order of her husbands has differed between sources.Oklahoma Historical Society, Pawnee Bill Ranch (Lillian Smith)
Retrieved Dec. 27, 2014. All of her marriages ended in divorce. She did not have any children.
Retrieved Dec. 27, 2014.

Birthdate discrepancy

Although Smith's headstone has her birthdate being February 3, 1871, it is most likely incorrect and placed there for posthumous flair as it gives the coincidence of death being on her 59th birthday.
Retrieved Dec. 27, 2014. One source has Smith possibly born in August 1871 or 1872 depending on newspapers. Other sources have her being born in the autumn months of 1871, including one from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Company.Shirl Kasper, ''Annie Oakley'', 1948, Library of Congress
, University of Oklahoma Press (1992), page 60, Retrieved Jan. 11, 2015.Buffalo Bill's Wild West Company, ''Buffalo Bill's Wild West, America's National Entertainment: An Illustrated Treatise Of Historical Facts And Sketches'', 1887, Allen, Scott & Co. London, page 49
Retrieved Jan. 11, 2015. According to a recently released biography on Smith by author Julia Bricklin, she was born on August 4, 1871, which would coincide with the time period of the previously mentioned sources.

Notes

See also

* Annie Oakley
* Calamity Jane
* Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
* Wild West Shows
* Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show

References

* FamilySearch (Levi W. Smith)
Lillian Smith: Credits
Retrieved December 27, 2014.
* HISTORYnet.com, ''Lillian Smith: The On-Target 'California Girl by Julia Brickli

Retrieved Dec. 27, 2014.
* Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Marriage Records (1840-1915
Lillian Smith: Credits
Retrieved Dec. 27, 2014.
* Facts On File History Database (William Eagle Shirt)
Lillian Smith: Credits
Retrieved Jan. 12, 2015.

Links

"Lillian Smith: The Champion California Huntress"
by Karen Kondazian, October 28, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2013.

Biography of Lillian Smith in "Annie Oakley"
on the PBS website dedicated to the '' American Experience'' series.
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Lillian
1871 births
1930 deaths
Gunslingers of the American Old West
American female sport shooters
American circus performers
American stunt performers
American entertainers
Wild West shows
Age controversies
People from Mono County, California