Archives West Finding Aid

Born February 26, 1846 in LeClair, Iowa, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody moved with his family to Kansas and later rode for the Pony Express from 1860-1861. He served briefly in the Civil War and was given the nickname "Buffalo Bill" when he supplied buffalo meat for workers on the Kansas Pacific Railroad in 1867-1868. As chief of scouts for the Fifth U.S. Cavalry he participated in several Indian fights between 1868 and 1872. In 1869 his career took a new turn when he became the subject of a dime novel. He subsequently appeared in theatrical melodramas, touring successfully for 11 years. In 1883 he organized a wild west show that staged Indian fights, roundups, stage robberies, and buffalo hunts and introduced such stars as Buck Taylor and Annie Oakley to the public. In 1887 Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show was a part of the American Exhibition at Queen Victoria's Jubilee in London. The show regularly toured Europe until 1906. In 1908 Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show merged with Pawnee Bill's Great Far East. In 1913 the Col. W.F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) Historical Pictures Company was formed to produce short films on the Indian Wars and in 1914-1915 Cody traveled with the Sells-Floto circus. In 1916 Cody joined and made his final appearance with Miller Brothers and Arlington 101 Ranch Wild West Show. He died on January 10, 1917 in Denver, Colorado. Cody maintained several business interests one of which was the Shoshone Irrigation Company, which began in 1895 and created the present day town of Cody, Wyoming, in partnership with George Washington Thornton Beck. In 1902 He formed the Cody-Dyer Mining and Milling Company, an unsuccessful venture which cost him most of the profits from his wild west show.