From Calamity Jane’s relentless pursuit of Wild Bill Hickok to Emma Walters, who gave it all up for the dashing Bat Masterson—and learned to regret it, these romantic stories from the Old West are still familiar and entertaining to readers today. Meet Agnes Lake Hickok, the intrepid wife of Wild Bill Hickok and learn about the last love letter he sent before being dealt the dead man’s hand. Learn the story behind the charming performer Lotta Crabtree’s heartaches. And discover the tale of the dashing Kit Carson and his beautiful bride. This collection features the lessons learned by and from the antics of the women who shaped the West.

About The Author

Chris Enss

Chris Enss is a New York Times best-selling author who has been writing about women of the Old West for more than thirty years. She has penned more than fifty published books on the subject. Her work has been honored with nine Will Rogers Medallion Awards, two Elmer Kelton Book Awards, an Oklahoma Center for the Book Award, three Foreword Review Magazine Book Awards, the Laura Downing Journalism Award, and a WILLA Award from Women Writing the West for Best Scholarly Nonfiction Book. Enss’s most recent works are The Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Along Came a Cowgirl: Daring and Iconic Cowgirls of Rodeos and Wild West Shows, Straight Lady: The Life and Times of Margaret Dumont “The Fifth Marx Brother,” and The Doctor Was A Woman: Stories of the First Female Physicians on the Frontier.

Product Details

Publisher: TwoDot (January 14, 2014)
Length: 168 pages
ISBN13: 9780762774005

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Raves and Reviews

Once again Chris Enss delivers to us the historical facts of women who loved and lost in the American Old West. We discover through her eyes, the respect and admiration the opposite sexes had for each other in a time of hardship and peril where love reigned true. Take this journey back in time and realize that the west was won by not only men but by the women who loved them.

-Cheryl Brand aka “Slipnoose”, Single Action Shooting Society

Chris Enss has the remarkable talent of bringing old west characters to life. In Chris’ latest work, she introduces legendary women such as Calamity Jane and women not so well known; but who should be known for their grit and fortitude. Chris gleans from their lives and the lives of their men folk “Love Lessons” some to follow and some to avoid. Read this book you will not be disappointed.

--Bill Markley, Member of Western Writers of America

From Etta Place and her relationship with Butch and Sundance in Bolivia, to Deadwood City with Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok, to Dodge City with Zoe Stratton and beyond, “Love Lessons Learned by Women of The Old West” is a joy to read. This is a journey through the Old West meeting famous women who stood tough and braved what few other women would dare. These are stories you won’t forget.

-Howard Kazanjian

Chris Enss had produced a marvelous collection of Victorian Western women’s stories in Love Lessons Learned. These ladies, who were looking for love, had the determination and drive every pioneer possessed. Some found true love, while others died with broken hearts. Laugh, smile, and cry with Agnes, Lotta, Maria, and other hopeless romantics living on the frontier.

--Sherry Monahan, Contributing Editor, True West magazine, VP, Western Writers of America