It’s an enduring image in black and white: A slight woman, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a dress, poses for a photograph. Rattlesnake skins drape like fringe from wires stretched in front of her. At the bottom of the photo in faded cursive, “Rattlesnake Kate” is written.
The story behind that photo made an impression on Grammy-nominated cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek, formerly of The Lumineers. She learned the story of “Rattlesnake Kate” at the Greeley History Museum when she was a student at the University of Northern Colorado.
It’s a story that—100 years later—brings a day of festivities to Greeley’s Centennial Village Museum. Starting at 10 a.m. on June 21, visitors will enjoy music, crafts and demonstrations. The celebration will feature an immersive concert by Pekarek at 7 p.m. She will perform with about 40 musicians from her band and the Stratus Chamber Orchestra from Augustana Arts in Denver.
The battle with the rattles
In 1925, Kate McHale Slaughterback and her three-year-old son, Ernie, were riding horses toward a lake near her farm in Hudson, Colo. They’d heard what sounded like hunters. Slaughterback hoped they’d find ducks left by the hunters, but what they found instead were over 100 migrating rattlesnakes. She shot at them until she ran out of bullets, but she’d disturbed the snakes. Soon, snakes surrounded Ernie, Kate and her horse.
Worried about Ernie and her horse, Kate grabbed a nearby sign claimed to have “No Hunting” written on it. She began killing the rattlesnakes, one-by-one, until all were dead—about 140 of them. She later made a flapper-style dress out of the snakes’ skins, which is currently on display at the Greeley History Museum.
The story spread quickly, and according to Kate, “Soon a newspaper reporter came and had me string 140 dead rattlesnakes on a wire and have my photo taken.”
Setting the story to music
Kate’s story stayed with Pekarek.
“Kate was a very tough and fearless woman, experiencing many of the same feelings and issues a modern woman might face—being misunderstood, unheard or unseen,” she says. “She was ahead of her time as a feminist and lived outside of what women were expected to be. I can’t stop thinking about her and sharing her story with people.”
She developed the story into an album and an extended play (EP) collection, then a musical she performed at Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
She was interested in taking the music in a new direction—this time with an orchestra. Denver nonprofit Augustana Arts reached out, and their Stratus Chamber Orchestra will perform with Pekarek in an immersive performance titled “A Western Woman.” Their first concert is June 7 at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora. The June 21 concert at Centennial Village Museum will be part of a day-long celebration of Kate’s story.
“It’s going to be a unique opportunity to celebrate the resilience of a local and legendary woman, and to experience her story in a unique, immersive performance where audience members will be seated among the musicians,” says Greeley Museums Manager Chris Bowles. “Neyla has been instrumental in shining a light on Kate’s story—an important part of Weld County history.”
Augustana Arts, first formed in 1997, bridges the gap between audience and artists, creating fresh ways to experience classical and other genres of music that are also accessible and equitable. It redefines who performing arts is for using an immersive seating model.
“This concert blurs the lines between folk, rock, Broadway and other genres,” says Sara Hare, executive director of Augustana Arts. “It’s for Lumineers fans, people interested in Colorado history, lovers of musical theater or orchestral performances, supporters of female empowerment—it will be a unique and memorable experience for anyone who joins us.”
The celebration at Centennial Village Museum will begin at 10 a.m. June 21. There will be short musical performances throughout the day, historical demonstrations and games, costumed interpreters and the opportunity to make instruments. Tickets will be available at the door or online. Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert are free, but limited, and can be reserved online.
The June 7 performance of “A Western Woman” will be from 7-9 p.m. at The Local Drive in Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, with a VIP hour from 5:45-6:45 p.m. Tickets for the Aurora event are available at augustanaarts.com.
