WHO WAS BELLE STARR?
By Connie Oliver Henshaw
This petite pioneer woman has
been much maligned and sensationalized by pulp writers of the nineteenth
century and by present day writers as well.
It is difficult to separate fact from fiction. However, an actual reality does surface with closer study, investigation, and comparison of available materials which are exclusively male authored. It appears
Myra Maybelle Shirley was no better or worse than most pioneer women dealing with the Civil War and its massive disruption of cultures, experiencing a lawless life in Indian Territory with its frontier justice, and confronting life as a wife and mother in a harsh physical environment. She was an educated woman, a musician, a good neighbor, a fine equestrian, a crack shot, and an independent spirit. She was not a vamp, a bank robber, a member of Quantrill’s raiders, or a regular with the James or Younger gangs. Myra preferred the company of men to that of women.
Despite countless accusations and numerous courtroom visits, her only conviction was concerning one horse of “questionable” ownership. Although Belle Starr did enjoy much of the attention she experienced in her younger years, she later sought a more secluded life. Perhaps a female perspective examining just the facts brings a different insight about the humanness of this legendary figure.
It is difficult to separate fact from fiction. However, an actual reality does surface with closer study, investigation, and comparison of available materials which are exclusively male authored. It appears
Myra Maybelle Shirley was no better or worse than most pioneer women dealing with the Civil War and its massive disruption of cultures, experiencing a lawless life in Indian Territory with its frontier justice, and confronting life as a wife and mother in a harsh physical environment. She was an educated woman, a musician, a good neighbor, a fine equestrian, a crack shot, and an independent spirit. She was not a vamp, a bank robber, a member of Quantrill’s raiders, or a regular with the James or Younger gangs. Myra preferred the company of men to that of women.
Despite countless accusations and numerous courtroom visits, her only conviction was concerning one horse of “questionable” ownership. Although Belle Starr did enjoy much of the attention she experienced in her younger years, she later sought a more secluded life. Perhaps a female perspective examining just the facts brings a different insight about the humanness of this legendary figure.
