One hundred years ago, frontierswoman Kate Slaughterback (1893-1969) and her 3-year-old son were riding horseback when they came across a rattlesnake migration. Not one for antics, the fearless Kate unsheathed her rifle, took aim, and shot as many of the snakes as she could. But it was one to 140: daunting at best, disastrous at worst. When her bullets ran out, fast thinking Kate jumped off her trusty stead, picked up a “No Hunting” sign, and put up a fight, ultimately killing the snakes in what became an infamous showdown.

She returned the next day to skin them all, making a dress out of their diamond backs and a necklace out of their fearsome rattles. These items are now on display at the Greeley History Museum, where they caught the eye of singer/songwriter and musician, Neyla Pekarek.

Formerly the cellist and vocalist of the Grammy-nominated folk-rock band The Lumineers, Pekarek was struck by Kate’s story. “The story of Rattlesnake Kate goes so far beyond the rattlesnake encounter,” Pekarek said in a 2020 interview with the DCPA. “That’s the hook that gets you into her story. But as I began to research her, I discovered she kept up this love-letter correspondence with a man in Iowa for 40 years — and they never met. She kept having all these challenges thrown at her, and they only made her stronger.”

That “hook” compelled Pekarek to release an album inspired by Kate’s story. Rattlesnake was released in 2019 and those songs hooked Denver Center Theatre Company Artistic Director Chris Coleman who commissioned Pekarek and book writer Karen Hartman to transform the real-life legend-turned album into a world premiere musical for the stage.

The cast of Rattlesnake Kate. Photo by Andrew Kelly Photography

Rattlesnake Kate received its stage debut in the 2021/22 season after a hiatus forced by COVID. KWGN-TV said, “Kate’s story was nearly forgotten but now it is exquisitely brought back to life. A rugged, rule-breaking woman. Not unlike the composer!”

And her story…and that of the composer…isn’t done.

In 2023, Pekarek released an extended release (EP) entitled “Western Woman” with more songs recounting Kate’s life. This body of work and the story behind it caught the ear of SCFD-funded Augustana Arts. Its team reached out to Pekarek and offered to create a new orchestral arrangement of her music to present as the culmination to its 2024/25 season. Beginning last July, local arranger/conductor/musician Daniel Leavitt created the orchestral score.

“I continue to be entranced by Kate’s story, mostly because of her resilient nature and the way she was unapologetically herself,” said Pekarek. “She was never willing to compromise who she was for anyone, never a people pleaser, never backing down or quieting her voice.

Neyla Pekarek in Concert. Photo by Nikolai Puc

“In writing songs about her, I was able to find my own voice, and I felt really inspired by the way she rejected so many of the stereotypical ways to be a woman, certainly in the time period in which she lived, but by today’s standards as well. Her love of Colorado is so palpable in the letters she wrote, and these songs are my love letter to Colorado.”

Now, to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Colorado legend Rattlesnake Kate, Pekarek will once again take to the stage with a performance entitled “The Western Woman”. She will be joined by five members of her band along with Augustana’s 22-piece Stratus Chamber Orchestra, six choral singers, and six dancers from Life/Art Dance who will literally surround the audience. Presented as an immersive performance, “A Western Woman” is described as a multi-genre performance that will feel like the ultimate celebration of Americana, spanning pop, indie, folk, doowop, and more, interspersed with Kate’s story narrated by Pekarek.

For Denver Center Theatre Company audiences who saw the staged musical in 2022, Pekarek says they should expect something new. “This is more of an intimate concert with storytelling,” explained Pekarek. “It will have a lot of the same music that was featured in the stage production, but reimagined with totally new arrangements, featuring the Stratus Chamber Orchestra, and performed by me and my favorite duet partner, Brian Cronan. The audience will experience Rattlesnake Kate’s story through song and anecdotes about her life; we will feature dancers, and the audience will be seated among the orchestra, so it will really have a ‘stories around the campfire’ sort of feel.”

“The Western Woman” concert will be held at Stanley Marketplace on Saturday, June 7.

• VIP Tickets are $80. A pre-show reception begins at 5:45pm and includes an open bar, meet-and-greet, and on-site cowboy hat customization.
• General admission tickets are $45 and the concert begins at 7pm.

Tickets may be purchased online at Augustana Arts.