Kitty Le Roy

Although I'm an artist and writer, the wild west is my big hobby. I used to watch The Virginian, High Chapperal and Alias Smith and Jones, and watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I used to wonder why there weren't any female role models for gals like me. I used to shoot my dad's air rifle through an open window at targets and my parents would call me Annie Oakley. I loved that.

Years later my husband encouraged me to get involved in the western scene, and eventually I we began to do living history camps. I wanted to portray a character, a handle, an alias, and there were plenty of factual ones, although I could have invented one. I chose Kitty Le Roy at the time. Kitty was my granny, and this Kitty was a gambler and an armed to the teeth expert shot. She was killed in Texas by husband number five during the 1880s. Later I read about Captain Ellen Jack, who was British and blonde, like me. She too was an expert shot, and she was a miner in Colorado. Ellen wore stetsons and shorter skirts whereas Kitty wore gypsy clothes. Finally I found out about Sally Skull. She was born in Texas around 1817 and learned to defend herself. She became a horse trader and rancher and was also a brilliant shot. She frequently wore mens' clothes. 

I wear buckskin fringed pants or skirt, a holstered Colt and carry my Winchester and a small knife and pewter tankard on my belt. I take 'olde time' sepia photographs with my 'olde time' tripod camera. I have a cabin in my garden and I've been featured in the local newspaper, and on screen briefly - that was terrifying! 

if you're interested in joining me, please visit my website, Kitty Le Roy's Wild West ( or my Facebook page, Kitty Le Roy's Wild West Saloon. I look forward to hearing from you.