Martha was the eldest of six children born to Robert and Charlotte Canary.
Born on May 26, 1852, in Princeton, Missouri, Martha Jane Canary was the fifth of seven children to Robert and Charlotte Canary. Her family moved frequently during her childhood, eventually settling in Iowa, where she grew up. Little is known about her early life, but it's believed that she received some education and was raised in a traditional household. Calamity Jane
Born in Missouri around 1852 (the exact year varies), Martha Jane was the eldest of six children. Her family moved west by wagon train, and by her early teens, both parents had died. She drifted through Wyoming, Utah, and Montana, taking on “man’s work”—scouting, teamstering, and eventually working at army posts. Martha was the eldest of six children born
Calamity Jane’s legend is tied to during the 1876 Black Hills Gold Rush. There she worked as a bullwhacker, freight hauler, and sometimes dance hall girl. She claimed to have ridden as a Pony Express rider (historically unlikely, as that service ended before her time) and to have carried mail through hostile territory. Little is known about her early life, but
The origin of her nickname remains a subject of historical debate, with several competing theories:
The second half of 's life is a tragedy. Once the frontier towns became civilized, there was no place for a buckskin-wearing, swearing woman.
In 1901, she was kicked off the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo for public intoxication. She pawned her guns, she lost her horse, and she began wearing men's cast-off coats three sizes too large.