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This half-sheet upright for Wenona was created for the 101 Ranch Real Wild West Show by the artists at Strobridge Litho Co of Cincinnati in 1913.
A sharpshooter of the first mettle, Princess Wenona fired her trick shots for three and a half decades with the Buffalo Bill Wild West show or under the auspices of the 101 Real Wild West Show.
Joining the Buffalo Bill show troupe in 1885 in Los Angeles, Calif. at the age of 15, Princess Wenona would grow up to blaze a trail of shooting glory that has been unequaled in the annuals of marksmanship or show business.
She first signed on with William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody and put on her first sharpshooting exhibition in 1886 at the Fair Grounds in St. Louis, Mo.
According to the preshow hype of that era, Lil, as she was called by her friends, was born in Coleville, Mono County, Calif. Tired of playing with dolls by the age of seven, she took up the rifle, reportedly shooting 40 mallards and redheads a day on the wing and bobcats out of the towering Redwoods.
When Princess Wenona joined the show she was advertised as “interlude entertainment” and her assignment was to keep the audience interested while the big stars were changing costumes.
And did she ever! Within the next half year, Lil was to earn her own spot on the show bill by popular demand from the show going crowds. It was at a resort on Staten Island, N.Y., where she gained in popularity by hitting 495 out 500 balls tossed into the air. She used her trusty Ballard .22 to prove her shooting ability.
One report says that during one week in July nearly 200,000 screaming fans gave her a standing ovation in recognition of shooting proficiency.
Meets Queen
As the years went by, the legend of Princess Wenona began to grow. When the show made an appearance in England, the Queen asked to meet her.
The British press described the incident in this manner: “The sensation of the day was created by ‘The California Girl’ whose forte is shooting at a swinging target. She complicates her feat by adding all kinds of difficulties to her aim, and her crowning achievement of smashing a glass ball made to revolve horizontally at great speed, and clearing off glass ball after ball on the target just mentioned to the number of 20, were really marvelous.”
So impressed with Lil’s skills, Cody put up $10,000 as a prize for anyone who could beat her in a public shooting demonstration. But no one ever dared try that feat, not even Annie Oakley.
In 1909, Cody and Pawnee Bill joined efforts for one big show and at that time Lil became known as Princess Wenona. The publicity put out by the show folks telling of Wenona’s past was quite different than that of her earlier promotions.
She was billed as the daughter of Sioux Chief Crazy Horse and his white wife. Wenona stuck by this biography throughout the rest of her show business career. And she changed her show attire to beaded Indian costumes that enhanced her royal princess bearing.
After the show closed in Denver in 1913, the Princess and Jim Kidd, who had once been married to each other, put on a small show of their own, which didn’t last.
Princess Wenona then found a role with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show and went on the road with the troupe following the end of World War I.
However, another entertainment fare was about to make live shows and sharpshooters a thing of the past. This was the “talkie” movies. This would take a toll on “live” performances.
Cabin at 101
Wenona, as an aging performer, found a home on the 101 Ranch, where the Millers maintained cabins on the Salt Fork river banks. The cabins had been built for tourists who came from all over the world to visit the Ranch. in its heyday.
The cabins had become a colony of the old-timers, who did a small amount of work on the ranch. It was here that Wenona would make her home until her death.
While living there Princess Wenona married artist Emil Lenders, who was a friend of Joe Miller. The artist had come to the ranch to portray farm scenes and animals. He also worked as a cowboy and then converted to the Indian style of living. With this conversion he became adept at painting Native American Indians.
When Lenders fell on hard times he and Wenona lived in her cabin on the Salt Fork. He later achieved some fame and was commissioned to do several paintings for Tulsans and moved his studio there. Later, he relocated in Oklahoma City and lived there until he died.
Meanwhile, Wenona remained by herself in the cabin at the 101 Ranch. She came into town often in those years. She died in 1930, which was the coldest winter on record in Oklahoma with temperatures below zero and much snow, sleet and rain. The harsh winter had proved to be too much for Wenona and she died on Feb. 3. Attendance at the funeral was sparse and the burial even more so. Few remembered the show girl who had thrilled the world with her shooting exploits.
The headline in the Ponca City News read “Princess Wenona Is Dead; Led Colorful Career as World Champion Rifle Shot.”
The story of the funeral rites told “The prayer of Princess Wenona, long-time queen of the sawdust ring, for 40 years a champion rifle shot, is one that could be adopted and repeated daily by all people. It shows the genuine inside thoughts of one accustomed to a more or less rough life. It is her heart’s outpouring.”
The Prayer of the Princess
God, let me live each lovely day
So, I may know that come what
may
I’ve done my best to live the way
You want me to.
Forgive me if I do not Pray
The ultra-sanctimonious way
In church on every Sabbath day
As Christians do.
Just let me know if I should stray
That I may stop along the way
At any time of night or day
And talk to you.
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