Wild Women of the Wild West (In-person)
Spring 2-3 hours | Available (Membership Required)
American history of 19th century western expansion is filled with tales of heroes and villains, most of them men. Yet several women carved out their own legacies on the frontier, and their names still echo through our culture thanks to print and digital media. Figures like Annie Oakley, Belle Starr. Pearl Hart, and Calamity Jane feel larger than life, but how much of what we “know” is truth, and how much is legend? Join us as we unravel the myths and realities behind these extraordinary women who gained fame and fortune as gamblers, robbers, madams, and performers.
This course will be presented in a lecture format.
John Peterman
After serving for 23 years as head of an elementary school in Massachusetts, John Peterman turned his attention to creating lifelong learning courses focused on history and the entertainment industry. Throughout his life, John has been a public speaker and an enthusiast of mid-20th-century music and film. Over the past few years, he has offered courses at Osher at Dartmouth, AIL, Center for the Arts, New London Barn Playhouse, and OLLI at UNH.