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After the Civil War, William F. Cody of Iowa (1846-1917) served as a scout for the U.S. Army, earning the nickname “Buffalo Bill” for his skill as a hunter. He was made famous when his colorful character and adventures became the subject of newspaper reports and over 500 dime novels. In 1873, he began staging plays based on his life as a scout in the American West. In 1882, Buffalo Bill premiered his Wild West Show, an outdoor extravaganza featuring a cast of over 100, including marksmen, cowboys, Indians, and a menagerie of buffalo, cattle, elk, and other animals. Marketed as “a living picture of life on the frontier,” the performers reenacted buffalo hunts, Indian horse races, battle scenes, an attack on a stagecoach, life in an Indian village, the capture of wild horses and cattle, and other exiting events, all in an effort to educate and entertain. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show gained international acclaim when it was the main American contribution to Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887. |
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1860
