Although there is no concrete evidence as to how the nickname "Calamity Jane" came about, Martha Jane Cannary (the heroine of the plains) set off on the open road at the age when most young women were getting married and engraved her name in the history books. Jane, an independent woman worked as a bull whacker but was most known for her rugged adventures, excessive drinking & her association with wild Bill Hickock.
Despite her own personal peccadilloes, Calamity Jane was a gallant workhorse. When the small pox epidemic hit the Black Hills and Deadwood, Calamity worked tirelessly nursing the sick without concern for her own well-being. Truly a woman ahead of her time, Calamity with her masculine appearance and noted skill on the range, was no plain jane!
