Shotgun Kitty

Originally named Kathryn Marbaker, this warm tempered woman weighed in at a reported 280 pounds, even though she was under five feet tall. Kathryn was born in Pennsylvania in 1886, and was called Kitty by her parents. At age 16, after running an advertisement seeking a husband, she married Bob Tubb in 1904. Bob was a freight operator, and later opened several businesses in the Death Valley region, including a hotel, store, saloon, and brothel. Once she had made her way to the Death Valley Junction and Ash Meadows area, Kathryn picked up the shotgun moniker due to her habit of taking one with her wherever she went. Reports claim that she was not the least bit afraid to use it either. Accounts say that her fourth child was so small that she initially kept him in a shoebox and fed him with an eyedropper.