Buffalo Bill Cody - (1846-1917)
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Campbell County High School, Gillette, Wyoming
"All my interests are still with the west---the modern west," William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, once said. This statement sums up his life very well.
I. Personal and Professional Life
William Cody was born in Iowa in 1846. By the age 22 he had been a trapper, bull whacker, a "Fifty-Niner," Pony Express rider, wagon master, stagecoach driver, Civil War soldier, and even a hotel manager. He got his nickname from his ability to supply railroad workers with buffalo meat.
From 1868 until 1872, Cody was employed as a scout for the U.S. Army. His tenure was the longest for any man in this dangerous profession. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1872 and was forever after considered a favorite scout of the Fifth Cavalry. Also, in 1872, he appeared on stage for the first time playing himself in "Scouts of the Prairie." This began his famous Wild West Show.
The show was inaugurated in Omaha in 1883 with real cowboys and real Indians. The show portrayed the "real west." It began in Europe and was a feature at Queen Victoria's Jubilee. In 1893 it was the talk of Chicago; by the turn of the century Buffalo Bill was probably the most famous and recognizable man in the world.
Bill was also an activist for western causes such as the rights of Indians and women and also conservation of wilderness. He told the government to, "never make a promise to the Indians that is not fulfilled." He believed women had all the same rights as men and said, when asked if he thought they were qualified to vote, he replied, "As well qualified as the majority of men." As a developer, Cody realized he must also be a preserver. He spoke out against hide hunters who slaughtered buffalo and worked to establish game preserves in Wyoming and Colorado. Cody was interested in the west's progressive future and wanted the best for it.
Cody settled near the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming. The town Cody was named after him and is on part of his former ranch. There is a museum in Cody about his life and times. There, people of all ages can learn about this hero.
II. Literary Works
Adventures of Buffalo Bill
The Life of the Honorable William F. Cody
Story of the Wild West and Campfire Chats
The Great Salt Lake Trail: Henry Inman and Col. Wm. Cody
III. References
Paul Fees, Senior Curator, Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming
This essay was submitted by students of Nathel Coca, a teacher at Campbell County High School in Gillette, Wyoming.