Lottie Deno

The beautiful woman gambler known on the Texas frontier as Lottie Deno has always been a figure of mystery. Controversy and conflicting stories about her origins and her unconventional life followed her wherever she went -- and in fact persist to this day. Although Lottie has been immortalized in frontier novels and more recently in television and film as Miss Kitty in Gunsmoke and Laura Denbo in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, the true story is more fascinating than any work of fiction. Separating legend from fact, the author presents oral and written accounts by people who knew her well and includes period photographs documenting her life and times. She pieces together a portrait of a vital, courageous woman who retained her standards of propriety, her elegant, independent lifestyle, and her generous spirit amidst the pervasive violence and lawlessness of the Texas frontier.