Terri Farley

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

A Gray Colt for Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane holds her rifle and wears a holster on her hip as she poses with her horse

Martha Jane Canary, "Calamity Jane," lived when the West was still very wild and stories about her -- even the autobiography dictated to a writer of her day -- are probably as much tall tale as truth.

We do know that Jane was fearless on horseback. We know she worked as a scout, leading troops of cavalry soldiers across the mountains and the range. We know she used good sense and backwoods medical skills to save an encampment of miners during an epidemic. And, we know where she is buried.

Last month, I walked up a hill in Mount Moriah Cemetary in Deadwood, South Dakota and gazed at Calamity Jane's grave and felt a tug at my heart or maybe my imagination.
The wild cowgirl who rode "like an Indian" had been without a horse for so long and I had a toy colt in my briefcase.
I ran back to the car, found the little gray and sprinted back to Calamity's grave.
It wasn't up to me to name the gray colt. I left him for her and hope that someday, someone, will do the same for me.