Poker Alice passes, and with her, the youth of a nation.

At 78 years of age, Poker Alice Tubbs was faced with a decision; undergo a risky operation on her gall bladder that could improve her health, or do nothing, and have her health continue to deteriorate. A gambling woman, she chose to take a risk.  

With the start of February, 1930, Alice would be checked into a hospital in Rapid City. The surgery itself was routine, but because of her “advanced year,” and poor health, there was a general fear about whether she would recover. It was a fear that seemed to escape Alice.

That fear seemed to be unfounded, at least initially. As her birthday was nearing, her recovery was progressing on a daily basis, and plans to return home were in the near future. Those plans would never come to fruition. She would be confined to the hospital for the last weeks of her life.

Ten days after her 79^th birthday, Alice lost her last gamble. The news quickly spread across the states, as many mourned her passing, while a few rejoiced. Most saw her death as the ending of an era, with her being the last woman of the wild west. Only Deadwood Dick would survive her, being the last of the “picturesque survivors of the old west” that made their home in the Black Hills.

Burial

As the news of Alice’s death began circulating, papers throughout the country began recounting her life. Even before she would be buried, her tale had reached coast to coast, giving many a chance to reflect on her passing and the end of an era.

Two days after her death, on March 1, Alice was buried at St. Aloysius Cemetery in Sturgis. Throughout her life, Alice’s Catholic faith had been important, so it was a suiting end when Rev. Father Columban preached a spirted sermon at her grave.

Many from Sturgis attended the funeral. Some were there to pay their last respects to an “old neighbor,” while others were fueled by their curiosity of the legendary woman. Inclement weather would prevent a larger turnout, but many saw it as suiting farewell.

Alice wouldn’t be finished with her surprises though until after the memorial, when it was revealed that she had disinherited her many relatives.

 In her last will and testament, Alice “specifically” disinherited all of her relative and kin. Their faults were that they had neither contributed to her welfare or happiness in the declining years of her life. They had, for many years, failed to inquire about her welfare. Since they ignored her, Alice ignored them in her will.

Instead, it was her friends who would receive her last belongings. Most interesting, a set of Washington Irvings Works would be given to Harry P. Atwater, an emerald ring and a set of Louise Muhlback were given to E.A. Steinbeck, and an Edison Phonograph, sewing machine, silverware and other miscellaneous items were given to Mrs. Joe Keffeler.

With her last will carried out, writers around the nation would begin to debate her merits, and discuss what her life really meant.

Forget About Her

As Alice was being lowered into her grave, she was being lauded as a hero across the country. She was being painted as a feminist icon, one who bucked traditional roles by playing a man’s games against men. She was praised for having had a fling in divorce court, for slinging a six-shooter, and for frequenting the gambling palaces.

While there is no evidence that Alice was ever divorced, and seeing that such a thing went against her Catholic beliefs it would have been unlikely, her independence was being celebrated. Being a strong woman, many were building Alice into a legendary figure. For others, that was a bit concerning.

In a nation that was quickly becoming more “civilized,” the frontier days were receding rapidly, and often were seen as something of the past. The Wild West was dead, and many figured that was for the good of the country. However, with Alice’s passing, it was a realization that those days weren’t that distant.

But distant they were; those days, the days of Alice, they were regulated to our nation’s youth. A youth that no longer existed, as the country was growing up, becoming more mature. At least that was the view that was being put forward.

Looking too fondly on Alice, or the life she lived, for some, was seen as dangerous. While the era of the wild west was something that the country needed, we were all fortunate that it was over, and that it had ended as soon as it did.

Those who took this attitude were grateful of the finer qualities that the pioneer tradition had instilled in the nation, but that era wasn’t something to wish for, as it contained little beauty, and was a tough life.

As the days continued to pass after the death of Alice, the reflection on her life often became more and more negative. While some would see her as a relic of the past, that could be honored in her own time, other figured it was best for her to simply be forgotten.

In Nebraska, one article would encourage people to simply forget about Alice, who was dead and buried. For them, while “the bad man” of the wild west could be justified, “the bad woman” could not. It was a waste to even think about Alice and her type.

Much of the criticism was less sexist, but nonetheless dismissive. Often the authors would take aim at the legendary status some were placing on Alice. Instead of seeing a heroine, many saw someone who shouldn’t be honored in the way that she was being honored.

In Iowa, one author summed it up by saying that while the dead shouldn’t be spoken of unkindly, and that hopefully Alice was resting in peace, there were many other good people that should be lifted up. People who simply are forgotten even though they did great things. They saw Alice’s big claim to fame as having been able to escape punishment for her wrong doings.

In Kansas, the author took aim at other papers depicting her as a heroine, when they argued that morally she was no better than others of her time. While they didn’t see her as any worse than other wild west figures, they didn’t think that newspapers should be raving about her. To sum up what others were saying about Alice, they used one phrase, “It is A lot of boloney.”

Quite possibly the best summation of the media coverage that was afforded to Alice after her death came out of Kentucky. There, the author found a nice middle ground. Alice wasn’t a lovely-lady. She was rough and tough. But that could be excused seeing the life that she lived. She had her failings, but she was more than that. However, most importantly, she was of an older generation that had long passed, that no longer fit in the modern world.