Journal Notes

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Iron Women:  The Ladies Who Helped Build the Railroad

Twenty-eight-year-old Elizabeth Cogley sat at a small desk in the Pennsylvania Railroad ticket office in Lewiston Junction, Pennsylvania, on April 16, 1861, frantically writing down the message coming through the telegraph. The smartly dressed woman wore a serious expression; the message she was transcribing was vital and history making. The day before, a similar wire had reached Elizabeth. She carefully noted its contents and passed it along to the ranking military official in the area. It was from President Abraham Lincoln, and it read, “I appeal to all loyal citizens to favor, facilitate, and aid this effort to maintain the honor, the integrity, and the existence of our National Union, and the perpetuity of popular government; and to redress the wrongs already long enough endured.”  This was Lincoln’s first call for troops. He asked for 75,000 volunteers.

The following day, Pennsylvania’s first war governor, Andrew G. Curtin, sent a telegram to Captain Selheimer, commander of the First Defenders Association in Lewiston, to rally his men together to report to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as soon as possible. After delivering the message to the captain, Elizabeth was instructed to respond to Governor Curtin with news that he and his troops would “move at once.”  The railroad telegrapher dispatched the essential information quickly and accurately. Little did Elizabeth know the event would be remembered as the first telegraph exchange of the Civil War.

Born on November 24, 1833, Elizabeth learned telegraphy in the office of the National Telegraph Company. She entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company on April 13, 1856. She was stationed in the Lewiston office until the beginning of the Civil War. She remained with the railroad company for more than forty years.

Some of the earliest women in railroading can be found in telegraph stations. The job of the telegrapher was to transfer information between the train dispatcher and the train operator. A telegrapher copied train orders and messages from the train crew and reported the passing trains to the dispatcher. They also received and sent Western Union telegrams. Most learned the trade from another operator. Some attended schools such as the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York and the Pittsburgh Female College in Pittsburgh.

The qualifications needed to be a telegrapher were to be well read, to know how to spell, and to be able to learn Morse code. According to author Virginia Penney’s book written in 1870 entitled How Women Can Make Money, a good lady telegraphist could make between $300 and $500 a year. With that in mind, many women with some knowledge of electricity and good penmanship decided to pursue a career in the field.

To learn more about the women who helped build the railroad read Iron Women

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Amazon ranks the little book that could #8 in E-Books and

#12 in Railroad History for the print version. 

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Iron Women: The Ladies Who Helped Build the Railroad has been recognized with a

Spur Finalist Award from Western Writers of American and

two finalist awards from Foreword Review magazine. 

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“Most readers are familiar with the 1876 Montana Territory battle in which Gen. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry was soundly defeated by warriors from the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Nations. A neglected element of the narrative is the stories of the wives of the commanding Army officers who died that day. Those seven women—the most famous of whom was Elizabeth Custer—were dubbed “the widowed ones” by a Minneapolis newspaper editor, and in these pages, nonfiction author Enss, film and TV producer Kazanjian, and Western American collector Kortlander meticulously characterize them as a tight-knit group who, in the midst of their grief, communicated with one another for the remainder of their lives. They also point out that the women contended with dire financial straits, as the pensions they received were not enough to live on in the long term, and employment wasn’t easy for the women to secure. Also, as part of the extensive criticism of Custer’s actions, people expressed the opinion that his men all blindly followed his reckless lead, which deeply upset the widows. However, the authors show how the shared loss provided a source of healing: “Elizabeth’s affections and sympathy for the widows of the Seventh Cavalry helped pull her ever so slowly out of the pit of despair—a pit so deep her friends feared for her sanity….A tragic event had banded them together and formed the nexus of a friendship that would last for a lifetime.” The rigor of the scholarly research on display here is quite simply astonishing, as the authors seem to leave no stone unturned.”

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Midwest Book Review from the American History Shelf

Highly recommended pick for history collection. Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss’ The Trials of Annie Oakley (9781493017461, $24.95) provides a biographical coverage that focuses on the feisty independent woman who advanced the image of women in American history both through her performances in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show and in her advocacy efforts. The latter – which included advocating for the US military and fighting for orphans – may be lesser-known episodes in her life, but here they are brought to the forefront in an account that reads with the lively immediacy of fiction but gathers a range of facts about Oakley’s performances and life.

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Enter now to win a copy of The Trials of Annie Oakley

Three dozen, fresh-faced young men jockeyed for position behind a row of windows on a train leaving Poughkeepsie, New York, bound for Camp Mills on Long Island. The new Army recruits waved goodbye to those on the railroad platform; they wore happy expressions and cheered as the car lurched forward. The men were excited and blissfully naïve about the journey ahead of them. Family and friends on the platform offered last minute farewells as the train slowly began to move ahead. Some people cried as the vehicle left the station and blew kisses to the courageous souls who had answered the call to serve their country when America announced it would join Britain, France, and Russia to fight in World War I.

The United States entered the war on April 6, 1917, and by the end of that same month thousands of men had eagerly flooded recruiting stations, enlisted in the Army and Navy and promised to defend the nation in time of peril.

On July 6, 1917, newspapers, and unofficial dispatches from Canadian army headquarters in Europe documented when America went into battle for the first time during the World War. A young Texan who had traveled to Ontario to enlist had the honor of being the first to carry the American flag in the European war. He was carrying the Stars and Stripes on his bayonet when he was wounded and subsequently transported to a medical unit.

According to the July 20, 1917, edition of the Democrat and Chronicle News the Texan’s brave action prompted even more patriotic men to join a branch of the service. Men did not have a moratorium on devotion to country. Women also wanted to do their part. Annie Oakley was among them. From the time the Spanish American War began in 1898, Annie had desired to recruit and train women to be expert shots and fight for the United States. She offered her unique services to President William McKinley.

“Dear Sir,” her letter dated April 5, 1898, began, “I for one feel confident that your good judgment will carry America safely through without war. But in case of such an event I am ready to place a company of fifty lady sharp shooters at your disposal. Every one of them will be an American and, as they will furnish their own arms and ammunition, will be little if any expense to the government. Very Truly, Annie Oakley.”

President McKinley politely declined her offer, but Annie never abandoned the idea. More than nineteen years after the initial proposal, Annie again offered to raise a regiment of women volunteers to fight. She received more than 1,000 letters from women throughout the United States anxious to join the regiment. Three thousand women had participated in Annie’s shooting school in Pinehurst, North Carolina, during the 1916-1917. If necessary, she could call on the best students from her classes to take part in the program. Many of the women were willing to serve as well.

To learn more about Annie Oakley and her team of sharpshooters read The Trials of Annie Oakley

Even in the best and most peacefully civilized countries many occasions arise when a woman versed in the knowledge and use of firearms may find that information and skill of great importance.

Annie Oakley

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1868 – 1st US professional women’s club, Sorosis, forms in NYC.

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Fans of Annie Oakley sought the famous shooter out after ever performance. In addition to granting requests for autographs, she took time to speak with her followers who wanted to know all about her. As a courtesy to her devotees, she supplied them with a concise list of facts about herself.

Answers to Ten Questions I Am Asked Every Day.

I was born in Woodland, Ohio.

I learned to shoot in the field.

I do not think I inherited my love of firearms from my parents, for they were Quakers, and were very much opposed to my using such weapons.

Having traveled in fourteen countries, and having hunted in almost all of them, I have shot nearly all kinds of game.

While I love to shoot in the field, I care very little for exhibition shooting, and only do it as a matter of business.

I never use the word “champion” in connection with my name and always request my friends not to address me as such.

My guns weigh about six pounds each and are of many different makes. There is no such thing as the best gun maker. The best gun is the gun that best fits the shooter.

I use pistols, rifles, and shotguns. I do not believe in using cheap guns. To me, the use of a cheap gun is like driving Star Pointer with a clothesline – you never know when the line is going to give way.

I like pigeon shooting when the birds are first-class flyers, but I am very much opposed to shooting pigeons from the trap during the three summer months.

I use thirty-nine grains of Schultz Smokeless Powder and one ounce of shot, loaded in the U.M.C. Smokeless shells. I don’t say that this is the only load, but it is good enough for me.

To learn more about Annie Oakley and the trials she overcame read The Trials of Annie Oakley. 

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The Trials of Annie Oakley

On August 8, 1903, a drifter named Charles Curtis made his way to the Harrison Street Police Station in Chicago and filed a complaint to Justice of the Peace John R. Caverly about a woman named Little Cody. Curtis had befriended the woman he supposed was down on her luck and provided her a place to stay for a few days. During her visit with Charles, she stole a pair of pants and made herself a nuisance. The complaint charged her with having “made an improper noise, riot, and disturbance.” A warrant for the woman’s arrest was issued, and “Little Cody” was arrested and escorted to jail. The fee she was to pay was $100. She didn’t have the money to give the court and was to be held until she produced the funds.

The prisoner did not give the clerks or the jail matrons a difficult time. She was chatty during the intake process, but polite. Her appearance was slovenly, clothes were torn and unwashed, and she was obviously under the influence of drugs. She told officials at the facility about her work as a crack rifle shot and of the days, she spent with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show. The curious matron couldn’t help but pursue the matter further. “You are the noted Annie Oakley, I guess.” The woman proudly announced that she was indeed the famed sure shot.

Charles Curtis came to visit the woman once she was behind bars and seeing her distressed state decided not to press charges.

When arraigned before the justice on Monday morning August 10, the police officer who had booked her into jail stated she was the famous Annie Oakley who had exhibited with Buffalo Bill Cody. The officer informed the court that if she were allowed to go free, she would only spread disease and implored the judge to send her to a women’s asylum where she could be taken care of. The judge agreed and instructed the court to send the woman to Bridewell Prison Farm. Her fine was reduced to $25.

After her day in court, she was taken downstairs to the lock up again. Several people were waiting for her to arrive so they could talk with her. One of those individuals was George W. Pratt, a reporter for the Chicago American. Pratt had visited Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show many times and was acquainted with several acts associated with the program. He wanted to get the woman’s full story and spent hours with her asking questions about what brought her to such a lowly state. Her answers contained specific information about who performed in Cody’s shows with her, when, and the exhilarating experience she had at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Pratt and other reporters were convinced this woman was the real Annie Oakley. Pratt wrote a story about his first-hand experience with the accused. As many reporters did at that time, he elaborated and sensationalized the account.

To learn more about the famous sure shot read

The Trials of Annie Oakley