Rattlesnake Kate

Rattlesnake Kate got her name from a day when she had to fight off 140 rattlesnakes.
Kate had ridden to a pond with her 3 year old son, Ernie, to gather any wounded ducks from hunters. She had to climb down from her horse to unlock the gate. That is when the first snake appeared.

Kate was a good shot.
Kate knew how to ride and to shoot. She was able to take care of herself and her child as a dirt farmer because of those skills. Those skills are also what saved her and her son from the snakes on October 28, 1925.

Kate saw the first snake by the gate and shot it.
The noise brought out 3 more snakes from nearby brush. Kate was able to shoot those snakes, as well. More snakes crawled out and Kate did not want to use all of her bullets so she looked for another weapon to use.

Kate found a No Hunting sign that she was able to use to fight off the snakes. It took her 2 hours to fight off enough snakes to get back on her horse to ride home.

A neighbor saw her soon after she got home. She had blisters on her hands and her face was swollen from the heat.
The neighbor went back to the pond with Kate. They picked up the snakes. The battle with the snakes had been a tough one and they picked up 140 snakes.

The neighbor told other people about Kate's adventure. Soon reporters came to hear the story from Kate herself. Kate's experience that day made her famous.

Kate made a snakeskin dress.
She used over 50 of the skins to make a flapper style dress. You may see the dress on display at the City Museum. She also used snake skins for a pair of shoes and a neck band.

Kate would wear the dress to many functions. She later kept it inside a trunk where curious family members would sneak peeks at it.

Centennial Village bought Kate's old farm house.
The museum purchased Kate's old home during the summer of 2002 for $495. The house was in poor shape and needed quite a bit of work to be ready for visitors.

They took pictures of the house, took it apart and numbered the pieces. The pieces were then put back together on the Centennial Village site. The house is a part of the Prairie Section. The house is planned to be left unfurnished so the space can be used for classes.

Kate's family still tell stories about her life.
Eileen Miller-Soltero shared a few family stories and pictures of Kate. Kate once kept a sick goat in her kitchen to keep it warm. She also was a nurse in WW2. She had to parachute out of a plane and had broken her hip. The plane crashed and everyone still aboard died. Kate may have had McHale as a last name at one point in her life.