Like Annie Oakley, Lillian Smith learned to shoot as a child to provide food and money for her family. She joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show at just fifteen after winning a shooting contest. Smith preferred the rifle and often shot while on horseback. Her records include consecutively shooting 72,800 glass balls over three days, seventy-one of seventy-two thrown balls while on horseback and twenty swinging balls in just twelve seconds. By comparison, while a great shot, Oakley preferred shotguns and firing from set positions. While she did do a horse act, Oakley frequently missed when performing it.
Their rivalry was legendary. When Smith was hired, Oakley suddenly got six years younger in all of her press releases. Being among the first women trick shooters, she had to present herself as a proper upper-class lady, unlike Smith, who saw nothing wrong with being a commoner. Resentments boiled after they met Queen Victoria of England, who apparently became quite taken with Smith. The British press failed to report that Oakley was even in the same room. Oakley’s husband wasted no time muckraking Smith, accusing her of being a low-class, carousing drunkard and braggart, and worse, a bad shot. He even resorted to calling her fat and ugly.
Oakley left in 1887 after Buffalo Bill refused to fire Smith. He hired her back at the end of the following year after realizing that her name sold more tickets. Smith left rather than work with her, soon resurfacing as “Princess Wenona, the Indian Girl Shot.” As Wenona, Smith claimed to be Sioux (she was briefly married to one). She darkened her skin with makeup and dyed her hair black while performing. 1880 census records do list her as Indian however, possibly Paiute.
She eventually retired to Ponca City in 1920, dying in 1930.
Their rivalry was legendary. When Smith was hired, Oakley suddenly got six years younger in all of her press releases. Being among the first women trick shooters, she had to present herself as a proper upper-class lady, unlike Smith, who saw nothing wrong with being a commoner. Resentments boiled after they met Queen Victoria of England, who apparently became quite taken with Smith. The British press failed to report that Oakley was even in the same room. Oakley’s husband wasted no time muckraking Smith, accusing her of being a low-class, carousing drunkard and braggart, and worse, a bad shot. He even resorted to calling her fat and ugly.
Oakley left in 1887 after Buffalo Bill refused to fire Smith. He hired her back at the end of the following year after realizing that her name sold more tickets. Smith left rather than work with her, soon resurfacing as “Princess Wenona, the Indian Girl Shot.” As Wenona, Smith claimed to be Sioux (she was briefly married to one). She darkened her skin with makeup and dyed her hair black while performing. 1880 census records do list her as Indian however, possibly Paiute.
She eventually retired to Ponca City in 1920, dying in 1930.
