LANSING -- The most famous female sharpshooter from the Old West may become a part of U.S. 127.

A new bill would designate sections of the highway as the "Annie Oakley Memorial Trail."

As written, The bill would designate stretches of U.S. 127 in Lenawee and Gratiot counties, but the actual location has not been finalized, said the sponsor, Rep. Maire Donigan, D-Royal Oak.

Originally, it was to begin at the southern border of Michigan near Waldron to connect with Ohio's Annie Oakley Memorial Pike.

The Ohio native started shooting and hunting at the age of 9 and quickly gained fame for her amazing aim, touring many years with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. She once shot the ash off a cigarette in the hand of the Prince of Prussia, Wilhelm II - at his request.

In 1882, Oakley traveled on what became U.S. 127 as she toured Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

Oakley continued performance shooting until her death in 1926.

"She's a real inspiration to women," Donigan said, "She suffered, but she rose above that."

Memorial designations recognize important people, said Kari Arend, a communication officer at the Michigan Department of Transportation.

"It's a matter of honor," she said.

The cosponsors are Democratic Reps Aldo Vagnozzi of Farmington Hills; Mary Valentine of Muskegon; Richard Hammel of Flushing; and Kathleen Law of Gibraltar.

The woman behind the bill is Oakley's great niece, Bess Edwards, an 85-year-old Royal Oak resident, Donigan said.

"You wouldn't believe what this woman has done to promote Annie Oakley," she said.

In 1984, Edwards, whose grandfather was Oakley's brother, started a foundation to promote her ancestor and to help dispel the false rumors about Oakley, of which there are many, Edwards said.

"A lot of the things that were written were totally false," she said.

One of the most famous myths is that Oakley robbed a bank to support a cocaine addiction, Donigan said, but that was untrue because the bank was robbed by another woman who falsely claimed to be Oakley.

The musical "Annie Get Your Gun" is a fictionalized version of Oakley's life, which often confuses people about the facts, Edwards said.

Edwards said she spends much of her time traveling to schools giving presentations, she said. "Word got around that I was the main resource on Annie Oakley, so teachers started calling me.

"The children sit on the edge of their seat with their eyes wide open," she said.

Edwards spearheaded Ohio's decision to name its pike in 2000, successfully raising interest in tourism and Oakley.

"Maybe this will stir up some interest in Michigan," she said. "I really think it will help."

The Annie Oakley Foundation has been stirring up interest in other ways. It has been involved in producing books, DVDs and television programs about her, and there is interest in creating an Annie Oakley doll, Edwards said.

If the bill is approved, any markers along the memorial trail must be paid for by private contributions, Arend said.