Mary, Myra and Martha

Mary Katherine Horoney – aka Big Nose Kate

She was born in Hungary and lived to be 90 years old.  She went by many names in her life – Katie Elder, Kate Fisher, Kate Melvin, Big Nose Kate, Nosey Kate, Mrs. John H. Holliday, Kate Cummings.  She is perhaps best known as the common law wife of “Doc” Holliday.

The miniature is from the Gunfighters Ball range of Knuckleduster Miniatures.  The reference or inspiration of this miniature is from the portrayal of Kate by Joanna Pacula.

While Val Kilmer and Joanna Pacula gave wonderful performances as Doc and Kate, here’s a photo of the real Doc and Kate:Oh, and she was called Big Nose Kate because she was nosey and into everyone’s business, not because she had a large nose.

Myra Mabelle Shirley – aka Belle Starr

According to the silver screen she was the “Queen of the Outlaws.”  Belle Starr lived most of her life in Texas and Oklahoma.  She and her husband, Sam Starr, were noted outlaws in their own right, but are often associated with the James-Younger gang.  She was murdered in 1889 at the age of 41, a murder that has never been solved.

Her favorite color was black.  But black is a bit boring when there’s technicolor, so in the 1941 movie, Belle Starr, Jean Tierney wore every color except black.  Most shots of her as an outlaw were in a red skirt and blouse or a red blouse and blue skirt.  The movie isn’t that great – Randolph Scott has a lot more screen time than Jean Tierney and it is highly fictionalized.

The miniature is also from Knuckleduster Miniatures Gunfighters Ball range.

Martha Jane Canary – aka Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane was a rough character who also had a tender side.  A lot of what she said she did and what others said she did can’t be proven.  We do know that she was friends with Bill Hickok and that at times they appeared to be more than friends.  She wore men’s clothes, swore, smoked, fought and drank – drank heavily.  She was also known for charity, taking care of the sick and needy.  She was only 51 when she died of “inflamed bowels and pneumonia” after a heavy bought of drinking.The miniature is also by Knuckleduster Miniatures.  Knuckleduster is making some of the best Old West miniatures to date.  Very, very little flash and remarkable detail.

There have been several actresses who have portrayed Calamity Jane over the years, one of my favorites is the performance by Robin Wiegert in Deadwood.Did you know there was even a Calamity Jane musical?  Yeppers, it was a big hit for Doris Day:

Well, while none of these ladies were prairie flowers, they were also a bit too tough to be floozies, though they did have their floozy moments – as always, comments are greatly appreciated.