I admire those people who are able to really hit a target. I mean, really hit a target. I love to play darts, and there was a time when I could hold my own. These days, I don’t play enough to be any good. But I love target sports. Shooting is the same. I’m an okay shot. But as it is, I don’t practice much. In addition, I had never fired a gun until I was well into adulthood.
I would enjoy going back in time to sit and watch Phoebe Ann Mosey hit a target. She was a sharpshooter like no other. Annie Oakley is how most of us knew her.
She was the talk of the town back then. She joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and performed for royalty, presidents, and dignitaries. It was said that she could repeatedly split a playing card with one shot — edge-on. And then? She would put several more holes in it before it could touch the ground — all while standing 90 feet away with a .22 caliber rifle in hand.
I mention good Annie Oakley today because this is her birthday, August 13, 1860. A Buckeye, she was, having been born in North Star, Ohio. North Star is about midway between Greenville and Celina.
It is no wonder she was good. Annie started early in life, making her first shot at eight years old. Phoebe Ann Moses grew ups in a poor family. Her dad died when she was only six years old. As such, she had to contribute to help her family survive. She set traps and caught small animals for food.
Then, when she was only eight years old, she made her first shot, killing a squirrel right outside her house. Her mom wasn’t thrilled with her for having taken a loaded gun, and she was forbidden to use one again. For a little while, at least. Later, she would earn money for the family by killing animals and selling the meat to a local grocery store. She made enough to pay off her mom’s mortgage of $200.
Annie Oakley entered shooting contests, winning often. She even beat her future husband, Frank Butler, in one competition. They got married a year later. She was only 15 at the time.
Despite her profession, Annie Oakley emphasized her femininity.
She was in a world of men, for the most part. Shooting was predominantly a male activity. Some other women of that time — like Calamity Jane — used to dress like men and behave badly, just to fit in. But not Annie Oakley. She wore her own homemade costumes on stage. She was always well-mannered and participated in “proper” female activities such as embroidery in her spare time.
And all of this in a small package. Annie Oakley was only 5 feet tall.
I’m sure there’s a lot more to her life than sharpshooting.
But she was known for her uncanny ability to hit a target. Perhaps it was a gift. Or maybe it was believing that she could.
A good reminder for us, as we go through our lives, aiming at our targets. Perhaps half the battle is believing we are able.
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Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.
— Theodore Roosevelt
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I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be.
— Ken Venturi
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Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.
― Arthur Schopenhauer
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Hitting the mark. She did. You did.
