Annie Oakley was seriously injured in a train accident near Lexington, North Carolina, while touring with Buffalo Bill's Wild West.
On June 29, 1901, the train carrying Buffalo Bill's Wild West show collided with another train near Lexington, North Carolina, resulting in a serious accident that injured several performers, including Annie Oakley. She suffered significant physical trauma, including spinal injuries that some accounts suggest led to temporary partial paralysis, from which she underwent a lengthy recovery involving multiple surgeries.
The accident marked an abrupt turning point in Oakley's long association with Buffalo Bill's Wild West, effectively ending her tenure with the show that had made her an international star for sixteen years. Reports at the time noted that her hair reportedly turned white virtually overnight due to the shock and trauma of the crash, though this detail is debated among biographers.
Despite the severity of her injuries, Oakley demonstrated remarkable resilience, eventually returning to performing after an extended recuperation, though she never rejoined Cody's show in the same capacity. The accident is historically significant not only as a pivotal moment in Oakley's personal career trajectory but also as an illustration of the real physical dangers faced by touring performers of the era, whose grueling travel schedules by rail exposed them to the same accident risks as the ordinary traveling public, regardless of their fame.