Oklahoma is full of colorful stories from the past, whether it’s outlaws like the Doolin Gang or the Dalton brothers, or Wild West shows.
One of the most famous historical Oklahomans, hands down, is lawman Bill Tilghman. Most learn about his days as a U.S. marshal and his mission to take down Bill Doolen in Oklahoma History. However, you may not know much about his wife, Zoe.
New York Times Bestselling Author Chris Enss set out in her recent book - “Bill Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Woman Who Inspired Him” - to tell the story of the famous lawman and his equally remarkable wife. She co-wrote the book with Howard Kazanjian and held a book signing at the Lincoln County Museum of Pioneer History on Saturday.
“She was also a brilliant poet, and she worked for Harlow’s Weekly and was the book editor and poet editor for that publication. And when her husband died, when he was killed in 1924, they only had $80 to their name,” Enss said. “So, she went to her boss and asked for an advance so she could write the definitive biography of her husband, and it took her 30 years to do the job.”
For the book, Enss met Tilghman’s granddaughter Suzie in Scottsdale, Arizona, who gave her access to family records and items, including some of Zoe’s books of poetry that she wrote.
“She did this amazing book called ‘The Dugout,’ which was a very interesting take on the pioneer, on the frontier pioneers,” she said. “The star of her books was the dugout where the pioneers lived. And it’s about four different families who lived in this dugout as time went by.”
Enss has long been fascinated with the Old West and the roles women played in it. She’s written over 50 books over 30 years, including her first best-seller, “The Doctor Wore Petticoats,” about the first women physicians on the frontier. She said it makes her happy that readers are interested in the women of the Wild West, because they weren’t all “teachers and prostitutes.”
“They had real jobs. And that’s why writing about Zoe Tilghman was so attractive. I mean, she really was quite significant in Oklahoma. And goes on in her later years in life to write for television,” she said. “It was just too good to pass by. And then to go on from there to be this tough son of a gun who writes for Death Valley Days and Gun Smoke and just takes her husband’s story to the big screen.” Enss’ love for the Old West started young. She said she was an army brat and spent most of her time at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, near Tombstone. She said that’s where she fell in love with the history of the Old West, because Tombstone was “just dripping in it.” Later, after university, Enss settled in California in a little mining town in Gold Country.
“I fell in love with the history there and started writing about the Gold Rush and the women who came west. And few people know about what women did,” she said. Enss wrote about Nancy Kelsey, who was the first white woman to cross the Sierras. Her first book was called “With Great Hope, Women of the California Gold Rush.” Since then, she’s chronicled many women throughout history. Enss said it typically takes her about a year of research and another year to write for each book. She pushes to find primary sources.
“I don’t like to have my history watered down or regurgitated from secondhand,” she said. “I like to get this right from the major source.”
Her recent release isn’t the only book Enss has written about Oklahoma history. She’s also written about Sam Sixkiller and has a new book coming out called “The Sharpshooter and the Showman” on Pawnee Bill and Mae Lillie. Another book that is soon to be released is “Meet the Kellys” on Machine Gun Kelly and his wife, Catherine Thorne. Kelly did a lot of his bootlegging work out of Tulsa.
Enss said she looked forward to her visit to Chandler, where both Bill and Zoe Tilghman are laid to rest.