Bill Cody Road

WILLIAM FREDERICK “BUFFALO BILL” CODY

Bill Cody

1846 - 1917

In 1864, at the age of 18, Cody enlisted in the United States Army to fight in the Civil War. He served the Union in campaigns against the Kiowa and Comanche and later enlisted with the Seventh Kansas Cavalry, which saw action in Missouri and Tennessee. His military career began when he became a messenger for the army during the Powder River Expedition. He proved to be a valuable asset to the army, and was soon made a scout and guide.

Cody played a key role in several military campaigns including the Red Cloud’s War and the Great Sioux War, and his reputation continued to grow. In all, he is believed to have engaged in 16 Indian fights, including his much-publicized scalping of the Cheyenne warrior Yellow Hair in

Sioux County, Nebraska, which was hailed as a response to the massacre of General Custer’s command at the Battle of the Little Bighorn earlier in the year. After the war, Cody continued to work, becoming well-known for his skills tracking and shooting.

In addition to his military service, Cody was also a prolific hunter and given the name “Buffalo Bill’’ for his talent in slaughtering buffalo. He saw an opportunity to make a fortune by supplying meat to the growing railroad industry and formed the Buffalo Bill Cody Bison Company. By 1876, bison were being killed to near extinction with over 4,000 lives extinguished. With the formation of his company, he continued to be a prominent figure in the American West.

The fast-shooting Cody’s legendary exploits provided choice material for newspaper reporters and novelists who transformed him into a Western folk hero. A cast of hundreds toured with his show, making him one of the most famous and successful entertainers of his time for his spectacular outdoor “Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World’’ extravaganza. It featured fancy-shooting Annie Oakley and Chief Sitting Bull, as well as re-enactments of events such as a buffalo hunt, the capture of the Deadwood stagecoach, and a Pony Express ride. In 1887, the show was performed for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, and it was later staged throughout Europe. It was attended by three million people at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. By the end of the 19th century, Buffalo Bill was one of the most well-known people in the world.

Later in life Cody became involved in politics and ran for the United States Senate, continuing his involvement in the hunting industry while working to preserve the buffalo population, women’s suffrage, and the fair treatment of American Indians. He invested in projects he hoped might bring economic growth stemming from the recognition of the financial possibilities in dramatizing his wild west adventures. Audiences greeted the showman with overwhelming enthusiasm during his 45 year career as an entertainer.

By the turn of the twentieth century, William Frederick Cody was arguably the most famous American in the world. He is a legendary figure in history best remembered for his role in the settling of the West and for his wild west shows. Every president from Ulysses S. Grant to Woodrow Wilson consulted this folk hero because Buffalo Bill affirmed he was no mere actor rather a major contributor in the creation of America.