About The Whip
The Whip is inspired by the true story of a woman, Charlotte “Charley” Parkhurst (1812-1879) who lived most of her extraordinary life as a man.
She was raised in an orphanage in Boston, Massachusetts. At the orphanage, a groom took her under his wing, becoming a father figure to her, and teaching her about horses.
When she was older, she moved to Providence, Rhode Island. She fell in love and lived with a black man and had his child. Then, her ‘husband,’ was hung, her baby killed and she was raped by one of the killers. The destruction of her family drove Charlotte out west to California, dressed as a man, to track the murderer.
While out west she became a renowned stagecoach driver for Wells Fargo during the gold rush. She killed the famous outlaw Sugarfoot as he tried to rob her stagecoach; she had a secret love affair with a gambler, and lived with a housekeeper who, unaware of her true sex, fell in love with her.
Charley was also the first woman to vote in America (as a man). Her grave lies in Watsonville, California.