A small band of Wild West cowgirls rode into stardom around the turn of the 20th century, earning nearly as much as the cowboys in the traveling shows and often out-performing them. At a time when women were discouraged from working outside the home or exercising, the Wild West cowgirls became fabulously popular stars who drew huge audiences and fans. Women around the world admired them for their audacity to lead lives outside the norm. They are some of history's forgotten women.
Goldie Griffith was one of that group of early professional female athletes. She performed tricks and rode bucking broncos for the most famous showman of the time, Buffalo Bill. At the age of 19, she was married during one of his Wild West shows at Madison Square Garden before a crowd of 8,000 whistling and stomping fans. A few years later, she discovered that her cowboy husband had already been married when they wed, and she pulled out her gun.
She never shot a husband who didn't deserve it.
A WILLA Literary Award finalist for creative non-fiction.