VISIT: There was a time when celebrities were seen in Bradford rather often.
On April 17, 1909, legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley performed feats of marksmanship at the Foster Brook Gun Club.
“There was a large crowd at the Foster Brook grounds of the Bradford Gun club Saturday afternoon to witness the fancy shooting by Annie Oakley and her husband, F.E. Butler. The weather was pleasant, but there was considerable wind. It was estimated that fully 1,000 persons visited the grounds during the afternoon,” read The Era article on the visit.
“Notwithstanding the spring zephyrs, the woman gave a number of clever exhibitions which were much appreciated by the spectators. One of her acts was the breaking of four clay pigeons using two double-barrelled shotguns, holding one and leaving the second at her side until needed. The four targets were broken before they could fall to the ground. Another feature was the breaking of marbles which were thrown into the air. A rifle was used in this work.
The most startling performance by Annie Oakley was the shooting of a cigarette from the lips of her husband. She used a rifle.”
From History Net, some background on her. Born Phoebe Ann Moses on Aug. 13, 1860, to Quakers, she was the sixth of seven children. In 1866 when her father died, her mother sent 9-year-old Annie to live at the county poor house. At the age of 10, she moved in with a local farming family to become a servant. The family was abusive, and Annie ran away, eventually returning to her mother.
Already a good shot, Annie began supporting the family by hunting and trapping. She met Frank Butler when he performed his traveling marksman show in Cincinnati, Ohio. Part of the act was challenging local marksmen to matches. A hotel owner arranged a match between Butler and Annie; she won.
The pair married, and she took on the stage name of Annie Oakley. In 1884, the two met William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, and joined the show for 16 seasons. She retired from the show in 1901 and gave shooting exhibitions while endorsing products for Union Metallic Cartridge Co.
