3 Ladies & Parkers at the 1902 (Last) GAH at Live Birds
 

http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrar.../SL3905019.pdf

The ladies taking part were Mrs. Frank E. Butler (Annie Oakley), Mrs. (Sophrona) S. Johnston and “Wenonah.” Their shooting was watched with great interest, and a crowd followed them from trap to trap whenever their turn came to go around the circuit of the four sets of traps.
On Monday there was considerable wind, and the birds were fresh. Annie Oakley missed her second and eighth, both good birds, in the Kansas City sweepstake, and withdrew.
Mrs. Johnston lost her first one dead outside; missed the fifth and eighth, and withdrew. “Wenonah” did not shoot, except, in the big event.
On the second day, Mrs. Johnston lost the fifth dead outside and withdrew on the eighth round with seven dead. Annie Oakley killed six straight and missed the seventh and eighth, the last being dead outside.
In the Grand American Handicap Annie Oakley killed 22 out of 25 from 27 yards. She lost the third and fifth, and killed fourteen straight, losing the twentieth, a fast right quarterer, out of bounds. Considering the quality of the birds and five days’ shooting, her performance was very meritorious. She used a Parker gun, 7 2/16 lbs. 3 drams Schultze, 1 1/8 oz. No. 7 1/2 and 7 Tatham chilled shot, in U. M. C. Trap shells.
Mrs. Johnston stood at 25 yards. She killed eight straight on Wednesday, missed the tenth and twelfth on Thursday, and on Friday lost the seventeenth, twentieth, twenty-second and twenty-fourth, and withdrew. Two of her kills, were exceptionally good, both birds being fast outgoers, brought down with a long second shot. She used a Parker 7 12-16 lbs. 3 1/2 Drams. Hazard 1 1/4 No. 7 chilled shot, in Winchester Leader shells.
“Wenonah” lost six out of sixteen birds and withdrew. She used a Parker. 7 1/2 lbs., 3 1/2 Drams Hazard, 1 1/4 No. 7 Tatham’s chilled shot, in Winchester Leader shells. She shot from the 26-yard mark.

Those were boomer loads in less than 8# guns!

More on "Princess Wenona" here
https://www.trapshooters.com/threads...wenona.813509/

I couldn't find the original image, but this is the cover of America's Best Female Sharpshooter: The Rise and Fall of Lillian Frances Smith, 2017
https://books.google.com/books?id=acinDgAAQBAJ
holding a Parker Hammergun

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL.../414033090.jpg

great reading....charlie

Dr. Drew, thanks for the account of the 1902 shoot. Turns out that my old DH Parker was likely in Miss Annie's hands for that shoot.

As our man Ed wrote, Annie was a vaudevillian, a show person and only ever won a shoot against men was when she had a big handicap advantage.

IMHO the really great lady shooter back in the day was "Plinky"

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I can understand that she shot for the big W and has no traction here in Parker land.

Annie shot from 27 yards in the 1902 GAH and killed 23X25. That was her handicap unless you consider that she was shooting a Parker when she could have shot a Model 97 Winchester and snagged those two missed birds.

The two that got away or the one that got away are the story of every competitive clay bird shooter thats ever been . NO ONE has ever been perfect from start to end of their competitive life . If I had the one or two missed targets back from the many many many 98's and 99's I shot over the years my talley of 100 straights would go from in the 20's to more into 150-200 . And I SURE DO WISH I could have it back on just the 410 skeet targets as I've never broke 100 straight with the 410 but a frickin pile of 98's and several 99's .

I was just starting to work my way up the ladder with the ATA, when I was introduced to box birds. I never looked back.
Did pretty ok with live birds. We shot a lot of skeet, and sporting clays (not registered) and then myself, and another P shooter decided to go to the Nationals, in 2021. John started in A Class, myself in "C". I left San Antonio in "B" Class, and worked up to AA, before I dropped out of the NSCA. John went on to Master Class.
Lot's of great memories from my shooting days. Met lots'a great people.

1902 GAH
 

Parker advertisement from the 1903 GAH Interstate Association program...

I enjoyed competitive shooting of some sort ever since I was introduced to .22 rifle competition at Boy Scout camp as a 12 yr. old. Having grown up tramping the woods with a .410 and a .22 it was a natural extension of the boy. But, the competitive aspect got ahold of me. I was never satisfied in any type of competitive shooting unless I was getting better. I was introduced to clay target shooting at that B.S. camp as well. Believe it or not the first clays I ever shot were MoSkeet targets with a smoothbore .22 and rat shot cartridges. But, I was hooked. I went on as an adult to compete in IHMSA pistol shooting, NMLRA rifle competition up to the national level, then found sporting clays and my world had a paradigm shift. I pushed myself hard to improve at it and found myself in 2010 as a AA class shooter eager to go to a national shoot. The 2010 US Open was to be held in Tunica, MS at The Willows. But, the Big Muddy flooded that spring and The Willows venue was flooded out. The owners found a piece of undeveloped ground nearby that they owned, bush hogged it down, and set up great courses for the event, in the nick of time. A buddy and myself decided to go. I had just gotten a 30" barreled B-SS and was shooting it good and entered the S X S event there. Shooting M and F chokes in it I won AA class, and also Veterans concurrent. Although I didn't shoot well enough in the Main Event, with my MX-8, to get any punches I earned enough punches in the S X S event to punch into Master (Donor :bowdown:) class. I have shot enough live birds (pigeons) to realize there was an addiction, with possible accompanying financial ruin, waiting for me if I succumbed to what my heart wanted. I have, thus far, been able to limit myself to an occasional box bird shoot for fun but ........... I haven't tried Columbaire ............yet.

Because of my competitive background I have always loved reading about Annie Oakley and the other competitive shooters of the early days. Thanks Drew, and others, who post this great stuff about them.

Ladies 1902 GAH
 

Photo of Annie from the 1900 Interstate Association GAH program...

Thanks Randy. Based on other images and the dress, that picture was taken about 1885.

Here is a close-up of the gun, which may have been her Cashmore

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...-%20Crop-M.jpg

A "Schultze" and "E.C." ad from 1902, likely taken at the same time

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...%201902-XL.png

A younger Annie with what is very likely one of her Lancasters

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...ncaster-XL.png


Annie’s guns threads
https://members.boardhost.com/lcsmit...602936778.html

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums...&Number=582204

Her Parker hammer gun c. 1886

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...%201886-XL.jpg

Annie
 

Drew, I checked the photo... dated 1896

Thanks again Randy.

1893

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...nieoakly-S.jpg

Better image

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...ncaster-XL.jpg

1894

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...ey_1894-XL.jpg

Annie
 

Drew... Have a cabinet card photo of Annie but not dated...

All these pictures of Annie with the Cashmore, the Lancasters, and even an L.C. Smith are very interesting. However, the 1902 Grand American at Live Birds results posted in early publications and reposted by Reverend Doctor Drew state that Annie shot a Parker in that shoot. Research shows that her Parker was delivered just before the shoot. Although her hubby was not shown on the results list under his real name, he also ordered a Parker that was delivered just before the shoot, just a few days from the delivery of Annie's gun. I have PGCA letters on both guns and the similarity of the time line indicates that both guns were ordered for the 1902 shoot. Maybe Drew can look at the participant list for the 1902 shoot and identify Frank by a nom de fusil. I can't, and assume that maybe Frank didn't shoot, even though he ordered a Parker with that shoot in mind.

Drew, the link to the 1902 GAH in your first post no longer seems to be a direct link to that shoot. Can we get a direct link reposted? Thanks.

Yes, the Sporting Life archives changed the format :(
Click on 'View' in the upper right and a larger and high resolution image will appear
https://digital.la84.org/digital/col...oll17/id/41019

Forest & Stream report
https://books.google.com/books?id=dt...&pg=PA2978&lpg

Competitors
https://digital.la84.org/digital/col...oll17/id/41035

Thanks, Drew. Now, do we know a nom de fusil for Frank Butler?

Frank was an exhibition shooter; mostly rifle but also shotgun.

1878. I don't know the make of the gun

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...r%201878-M.jpg

He and Annie met when she beat him 24 to 25 (probably glass balls but possibly live birds) said to have been in Cincinnati, Thanksgiving 1875 - but Annie would have only been 15. It is more likely they met in Greenville, Ohio in the Spring of 1881 when Annie was 21.

I've never seen a nom de fusil attributed to Butler, nor have do I recall seeing his name in a list of competitors of any GAHs, nor a report listing him as high gun of any tournament.

As a U.M.C. rep he was listed as "assisting" the 1904 U.M.C. Squad; T. A. Marshall, Captain; R. O. Heikes, C. W. Budd, J. L. Head. T.E. Hubby, W. H. Heer, J. T. Anthony, F. C. Riehl and E. D. Fulford
https://digital.la84.org/digital/col...id/38936/rec/3

The 1905 U.M.C. squad of Marshall, Heer, Heikes, H.H. Stevens and Butler were known as "Butler’s Bird Busters" and toured the eastern U.S.

April 29, 1905 Sporting Life does list his scores at 3 of the exhibition shoots; in Reading, PA - 80 of 100; Boston 104 of 150; and Trenton N.J. 85 of 100
https://digital.la84.org/digital/col...id/36819/rec/4

A pic of the combined 1905 Winchester/DuPont and U.M.C. touring squads
Left to right: Rolla Heikes, Jack Fanning, H.H. Stevens, Fred Gilbert, Tom Marshall, W.R. Crosby, W.H. Heer, Frank Butler - who is holding a gun.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...C%201905-L.jpg

So IMHO I think Frank primarily managed/promoted Annie rather than competed. As well documented he ordered lots of guns "for Annie", many/most of which were sold.
He did apparently keep this one
https://www.icollector.com/Parker-Sh...tler_i12883320

The March 1900 Forest & Stream advertised a Parker Bros. calendar showing “eminent shooters”
https://books.google.com/books?id=UkohAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA218
“The calendar for 1900 issued by Parker Brothers, Meriden, Conn., is adorned with a number of new portraits of eminent shooters, with condensed records of their marvelous doings in 1899 with the Parker gun. Grouped around an excellent portrait of Charles Parker are those of Messrs'. S.A. Tucker, Capt. A.W. du Bray, John Parker, W.F. Parker, C.W. Budd, E.C Griffith, W.A. Hammond, Fred Gilbert, O. R. Dickey, F.D. Alkire, G.R. Hunnewell, J.R. Malone, Harold Money, C.F. Ridge, C.E. Robbins, H.W. Brown, A.B. Cartledge, C.M. Powers, J.F. Jordan, F. H. Snow, H.D. Kirkover, E.E. Neal, J.H. Mackie, H.G. Wheeler, A.H. Frank, C.M. Hostetter, A.H. Fox, F.E. Sinnock, Sim Glover and Col. J. T. Anthony.”

Butler is not on the list.

Annie February 22, 1919 at Pinehurst. Impossible to ID the gun

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/...nehurst-X2.jpg

Thanks, Drew. As claimed, the gun in the auction was Frank's gun, stock dimensions way different from Annie's. A great find for the buyer.

Winchester Model 1895 Rifle that was converted to a .410 shotgun ordered by Butler in 1898
https://www.rockislandauction.com/de...l-1895-shotgun

Remington Model 12B Gallery Special
https://www.rockislandauction.com/de...-special-rifle

Here Winchester 1892 smoothbore .44 WCF was exhibited at the 2017 SHOT Show
https://www.americanrifleman.org/con...el-1892-rifle/