Tucson Region

The tender side of Annie Oakley

She was a backwoods girl who could shoot a squirrel straight between the eyes. She also was a savvy entertainer who charmed the crowned heads of Europe and made friends with everyone from Sitting Bull to Will Rogers. She was, of course, Annie Oakley. But the woman who headlined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show from 1885 to 1901 and inspired a later spate of Broadway shows and movies was more than just an incredible exhibition shooter and show woman. She also was a doting and generous aunt. And she was always a lady. "She was not Ethel Merman, Betty Hutton or Reba McEntire," says Oakley's great-great-niece, Tucsonan Betty Pickart, ticking off just a few of the actresses to take on the Annie Oakley role. Pickart, 73, was born too late to know her world-famous relative, who died in 1926. But she grew up hearing stories of Oakley through her mother, Bessie Wacholz, great-niece of Oakley through Oakley's brother, John. "My mother talked about it all the time, but I didn't pay attention," says Pickart. But now that her own mother is dead, Pickart is the keeper of several Annie Oakley mementos, including a quilt made by Oakley's mother, a bracelet worn by Oakley and oodles of old photos. Unlike the usual Annie Oakley publicity shots, many with a gun or horse at hand, these photos are of Oakley and family - gentle reminders of kith and kin long gone but still beloved. Pickart also has two memoirs written by her mother. One outlines Oakley's biography. The other paints a picture of Oakley's generosity to strangers as well as family. Childless, Oakley doted on her many nieces and nephews - and their offspring as well - sending them everything from money to fine creams and soaps to material for dresses. "She helped my mother get through nursing school," says Pickart, who just might not be here without that kindly intervention. For her mother did become a nurse, working at a hospital in Torreon, Mexico. "She met my father there. He had a construction job and had been injured on the job. He went to the hospital and met my mother." That story, of course, pales in comparison to Oakley's. Born Phoebe Ann Moses on Aug. 13, 1860, in Darke County, Ohio, Oakley was shooting fresh game to feed her impoverished family by the time she was 8. In the fall of 1875, she met, and beat, champion marksman Frank Butler at a shooting match in Cincinnati. A year later they were married. In 1885, they joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, touring until 1901. That year, Oakley was badly injured in a train accident. After recovering she taught marksmanship and gave shooting exhibitions for charity. Every year, Greenville, Ohio, in Darke County - where Oakley was born and died - holds Annie Oakley Days, complete with parade and rodeo. Two years ago, Pickart went for the first time, meeting descendants of Oakley's and riding in the parade. Over the years, she's also attended several local productions of "Annie Get Your Gun," first made famous by Ethel Merman's vocal cords back in 1946. Some shows she's liked better than others. "I am very, very proud of Annie," says Pickart, who only occasionally tells folks about her family connection. So what's the first thing people ask her? "'Can you shoot a gun?'" says Pickart. That's better than the other question she's been asked of late: "Who's Annie Oakley?" "That's kind of sad," says Pickart. She's rootin' tootin' right about that.