 Prior
to her marriage, Emma appears to have led a somewhat checkered life.
Both she and others have made vague references to her past; she certainly
was well-acquainted with famed gunfighter John Longley, and had even been
courted by him in her youth. Emma married young and headed west with
her husband to begin a new life. They bought a piece of land (later
used by the Pony Express) and constructed a large, two-story frame house.
For a time they were happy; Emma became pregnant and had a child.
The newlywed couple's happiness was shattered soon after when a smallpox
epidemic hit the new town of Sweetwater. The baby died, and Emma,
though infected, survived. Her marriage, however, did not.
Her husband began to spend more time away from the house, drinking his
evenings away in the saloon. Finally one evening, he just didn't
come home again.
Feisty and
independent, Emma began to make a new life for herself. She leased
her home and property to Russell, Majors and Waddell -- a bunkhouse was
erected for the riders, and Emma stayed on a cook/housekeeper/pseudo-mother
to her young Pony Express charges. Emma was among the first to recognize
Lou's hidden femininity, and her practical and common-sense advice helped
to make more than one rider's path less bumpy.
She also
began a relationship with Sweetwater Marshal Sam Cain; their first attempt
at romance fizzled, but the second attempt was far more successful.
Emma and Sam were married and, when Sam was promoted to Territorial Marshal,
the couple left Sweetwater altogether.
Photo:
ABC First Season promotional photo of Melissa Leo as "Emma Shannon"
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