Bull Buffalo

Travel Destination – Buffalo Bill Ranch Historical Park, Nebraska

Travel Destination – Buffalo Bill Ranch Historical Park, Nebraska – N.A. Rubin

The park features the home and ranch of the famed showman scout William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Buffalo Bill Ranch at North Platte that recaptures the life and career of the famed Pony Express rider, Army scout and buffalo hunter turned showman through artifacts and written documents

William Frederick Cody (1846-1917), American hero, was his real name, but before his interesting life was over everyone knew him as ‘Buffalo Bill’. He was one of the most colorful characters of the Old West that is recorded in the Hall of Fame.

Cody was born in Iowa, but in his early years his family moved to the State of Kansas moving into a large log cabin on land that they had staked there. Later, through contacts, at the age of fourteen, Cody became a rider for the Pony Express riding hard the trails to deliver the US mail. Cody got his nickname because of his work as a buffalo hunter for the railroad building the first transcontinental railroad. Buffalo Bill, as he was called at that period, claim to have killed 4,2890 buffalo in on eighteen month period. (Despite his image as a rough-hewn outdoorsman, Buffalo Bill pushed for the rights of the Native Americans. In addition, despite his history of killing bison, he even supported their conservation by speaking out against hide-hunting and pushing for a hunting season

He served as an army scout in various campaigns against the Native Americans during the next four years. For a while, Buffalo Bill toured eastern cities as an actor in a play about scouts of the Wild West, but his performances didn’t draw in the audiences so he returned a bit older and wiser in 1876 to scouting, a work he was cut out. A series of popular books were written about his adventures; they were among the first ‘dime novels.

Buffalo Bill hankered to return back to show business and in 1883 he formed his own group, the famous ‘Wild West Show’, which appealed to the audiences in the Eastern cities of the USA. It was an immense success, featuring amongst the cowboys and Indians in a Wild West display, Annie Oakley, a woman sharpshooter, and the famous Indian Chief Sitting Bull. The show traveled to all the Eastern Coast and crossed the Atlantic to thrill audiences in European cities. Audiences were thrilled by demonstrations of trick riding, sharp shooting, and fake Indian battles with plenty of whoops and simulated scalping. But the main attraction was Buffalo Bill who was always the center of attraction in the performances. His beard, white hat, and fringed leather jacket became symbols of the western frontier of the United States during that period of history.

To understand life of the man called ‘Buffalo Bill’ one should visit the home of famed showman and buffalo hunter north at La Platte, Nebraska. The house was built during the Cody’s profitable venture, the Wild West Show, and money was not spared by him in its construction and furnishing and of maintaining the surrounding ranch. The park encompasses twenty-five acres of the of the original 4,00 acres that Cody owned; Buffalo Bill’s Ranch, known as Scout’s Rest, became a state historical park in 1965. Since then, the house and barn have been restored and a wealth of Cody memorabilia has been acquired and placed on display. ‘http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/guides/parksearch/showpark.asp’

NOTE

1) Outside of interest in viewing the historical park one can enjoy the facilities of the Buffalo Bill State Recreation Area located next to the site. This recreation area offers beautiful camping along the Platte River; the recreation area also offers fishing, picnic tables, fire rings, and hiking trails

2) Cody died of kidney failure on January 10, 1917, surrounded by family and friends at his sister’s house in Denver, Colorado. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, through his request, was buried on Lookout Mountain in 1917, overlooking the Great Plains and the Rockies. The Buffalo Bill Grave and a museum of memorabilia of Buffalo Bill – Denver Mountain Parks – http://www.buffalobill.org/

About the Author

Former correspondent for the Continental News Service, now retired.

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