Many tall tales and rumors were told about Calamity Jane that made her a legend. She had the fastest gun and aim, even when compared to men. She had travelled to distant regions and the whole country had heard of her.
Dime novels influenced the legend of Calamity Jane in the days before television, these novels gave the reader new and exciting content which spoke to men's heart before WWI.
There were many tall tales surrounding Calamity Jane, what made her a good subject for the tall tales was both the fact that she was a woman and that it happened at a time period known for Cowboy ruggedness and bravado.
She became a celebrity of sorts because of her legendary feats exaggerated as tall tales and widespread by some dime novels, one of the most popular publications at the time.
Of the man known rumors regarding the legend of Calamity Jane, one of the most popular ones is that she had an affair with Wild Bill Hickock. It is even believed that they got married and had a daughter in the time when they were living in Deadwood.
As regards dime novels, even though these were advocators of proper moral conduct and opponents of incorrect devotion for money, society considered them as responsibles for the corruption of acceptable behavior. In the case of Calamity Jane, there wer both negative influences (since she used to dress like man and behave as such by drinking and smoking, something which was unaccepted for a woman) and positive influences (she was admired for her honesty, benevolence and selflessness).
Calamity Jane was a good subject for tall tales because she has all the attributes of the tall tale's main character: strength, abilities and smartness. Eventually, she became a celebrity due to her role in enhancing the image of woman in American West, giving power to the female gender of the time. For some people, Calamity Jane represents feminism and female bravery.
