The Orphan Who Became Calamity Jane #shortsreels This is Part 2 of the Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane story. Orphaned at a young age, Martha Jane Canary was forced to raise her siblings alone on the frontier. She became a skilled scout and driver, adopting the name Calamity Jane. Her path was about to cross with the one man who would define her legend: Wild Bill Hickok. Who Was Calamity Jane? Martha Jane Canary (1852–1903), known as Calamity Jane, was a frontierswoman, scout, and storyteller