Author Archives: nancyleek

About nancyleek

Nancy is a retired librarian who lives in Chico, California. She is the author of John Bidwell: The Adventurous Life of a California Pioneer.

The Last Years of Two-Gun Nan

Posted on November 7, 2018 by nancyleek

Nan’s husband Frank died in 1929 or 1930 and she gave up vaudeville soon after. Sometime in the early 1930s she remarried, to a man named Al Lambell, who she described in a letter as, “a nice little old Pal … Continue reading →

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The Saga of Two-Gun Nan — part 6

Posted on November 6, 2018 by nancyleek

After her legendary ride, Nan and her husband Frank worked to capitalize on her fame. Various newspapers reported their plans for the future. Possibilities included performances in Atlantic City, teaching society women in Newport, Rhode Island, to ride and rope, … Continue reading →

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The Saga of Two- Gun Nan — part 5

Posted on November 4, 2018 by nancyleek

Riding horseback alone across Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska in the winter must have been a bleak and chilly undertaking. And unfortunately, Nan Aspinwall Gable did not leave any recollection of her journey — no letters, no journal, no memoir. … Continue reading →

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The Saga of Two-Gun Nan — part 4

Posted on November 2, 2018 by nancyleek

After she lost her way in the Nevada desert, Nan Aspinwall ended up in the little railroad town of Proctor. It was little then and it is a ghost town today, with next to nothing left. According to the article … Continue reading →

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The Saga of Two-Gun Nan — part 3

Posted on November 1, 2018 by nancyleek

Nan left San Francisco on September 1, 1910, riding her thoroughbred mare, Lady Ellen. She traveled light, not even taking extra food, water, or clothing, but only the bare essentials. She planned to stay in towns when she could and … Continue reading →

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The Saga of Two-Gun Nan — part 2

Posted on October 30, 2018 by nancyleek

Nan Aspinwall, the “Montana Girl,” was not raised on a ranch in Montana. She was born in New York state in 1880 and as a small child moved with her parents to Liberty, Nebraska, where her father was a storekeeper. … Continue reading →

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The Saga of Two-Gun Nan

Posted on October 29, 2018 by nancyleek

Here is the tale of a long-forgotten publicity stunt that gave Nan Aspinwall national attention as the first woman to cross the North American continent on horseback in 1910. Billed as “The Montana Girl” on the vaudeville circuit, Nan was … Continue reading →

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New Book News

Posted on October 26, 2018 by nancyleek

My new picture book biography of Peter Lassen is getting closer to complettion. Everything is in the hands (and computer) of my friendly neighborhood graphic designer, Carla Resnick. Pretty soon it will be off to the printer and then a … Continue reading →

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The Troubled Life of Peter Burnett

Posted on October 19, 2018 by nancyleek

How many of us can name the first governor of California? Well, now you can. He was Peter Burnett, Oregon pioneer, Oregon’s first supreme court judge, trailblazer to California, and first governor of the Golden State. He was handsome, ambitious, … Continue reading →

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A Letter Found in a Book

Posted on October 17, 2018 by nancyleek

People use all kinds of things for bookmarks, just ask any librarian. Today I was given the first page of a letter, written in 1900, that was used as a bookmark in antique book on learning Greek. The library staff … Continue reading →

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