The mere mention of Calamity Jane conjures up images of buckskins, bull whips and dance halls, but there's more to the woman than the storied legend she became. Born Martha Canary, she was orphaned as a child and assumed the responsibility of caring for her siblings. Much too young and ambitious to rear a family, she found homes for all. After setting off on her own, Martha tried to reconnect with her fractured family in her typical haphazard fashion, all the while transforming into Calamity Jane. Soon, her own foibles and her siblings' choices rendered the attempt futile. From brother Elijah's horse thieving to sister Lena's denial of Martha's tales, author Jan Cerney uncovers the tumultuous Canary family often overlooked in the Calamity canon.

Biographies, Biography, Borner, Lena, 1859-1888, Calamity Jane, 1856-1903, Calamity Jane, 1856-1903 Family, Canary, Elijah, 1862-1922, Families, Frontier and pioneer life, Frontier and pioneer life West (U.S.), West (U.S.) Biography, West United States, Women pioneers, Women pioneers West (U.S.) Biography

The trip West South Pass City The Black Hills of Dakota Territory Lander and the Union Pacific Railroad towns The Broners Carson family Outlaw trail Calamity's last years Boise Canary relatives Swan Valley The Doxfords