The Story of The Challengers

De: Anthony Fanning

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

The cumulative story of six fierce women in the old west who chanced to come together and win the day for a small mining camp. These are the stories of "Fast" Fannie Porter, Kitty "Kat" Taggart, "Shotgun" Sally Anne Mays, "Black" Betty Johnson, "Silky" Bree Callahan, and Alexis "Two Guns" Brown, all The Challengers, brought together in one collection.

Fannie Porter – Born poor in Cork, Ireland in 1853, Fannie was never one to let an opportunity pass, whether it be petty thievery, or passing herself off as a housemaid. Growing up fierce, she was not one to let others take advantage of her, unless there was something to be gained. Even then, her patience was short.

Alexis Brown – From the day Alexis Brown was born in 1853, she lusted for adventure. In Fort Kearny, in the Nebraska Territory, there was little more than snakes and boys to keep her occupied. When the family moved to Wyoming, she found a life of more work than fun.

Kitty Taggart - In 1855, Katharine Alva Taggart was born into a violent world of border skirmishes and raiders on the Kansas - Missouri border. Kat lost both her parents in clashes between those on either side of the slavery issue. Orphaned, the young girl lived a varied life in the west, growing tough and rowdy, she worked as hard as any man, and lived life her own way.

Betty Johnson - In 1859, Betty Shaw was born to immigrant parents in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her Irish born father was sent away to fight the Confederates for ten years, and returned determined to teach his only child how to fend for herself. Eventually, she fell in love with a young man named Charlie Johnson, married him. The love did not last long, driving Betty to her very limit.

Sally Anne Mays - Born on the trail fleeing the fighting during the American Civil War in 1863, Sally Anne Hamilton landed in Cleveland, Ohio, fatherless, and with a mother who personal comforts were a priority. At fifteen, Sally Anne was married off to a young man and sent west, leaving her mother free to care only for herself. The sudden demise of Sally Anne’s husband left her to fend for herself.
Bree Callahan - It was October of 1862 when a young, mixed-blood slave carrying a white man’s baby fled the Battle of Georgia Landing in Louisiana. Trekking across the wilderness until she could run no further, she delivered her baby in a place called Tulsey Town, in Oklahoma. Bree grew up a worry for her mother, who passed her daughter off as a white girl so she may never be enslaved. Believing herself an orphan, Bree did as she pleased, no matter the consequences.

On the streets of Cheyenne on May 6th, 1880, these six courageous and strong-willed women find themselves all facing a challenge no men will dare. Each one with their own story, each one with their own victories, and their own losses, and through their determination and survival, each made stronger in their own way.