Larger-than-life western personality Calamity Jane died Aug. 1, 1903, according to South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Born in Princeton, Mo., Calamity Jane became famous for her rowdy behavior during the time of the Gold Rush. Even though she fabricated many details of her life, such as claiming to have ridden for the Pony Express, fans loved her and snatched up copies of dime novels with tall tales of her exploits.
Photo credit: CE Finn
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January 3, 1903
A merchant in Ozark County reported that the drought had destroyed the grain and vegetable crops and some families were “subsisting almost entirely upon acorns.”
February 16, 1903
Cole Younger was paroled from prison after the botched Northfield, MN bank robbery and returned to Missouri on this date. He met with Frank James in Kansas City and organized the "Buckskin Wild West Show."
March 23, 1903
Automobile license plates came to Missouri on this day. The same legislation set a state speed limit of nine miles per hour and required automobiles to sound a horn or a bell before passing a horse-drawn vehicle.