Born in 1846 in LeClaire, Scott County, Iowa, Cody grew up during the controversial pre-Civil War political era. His family settled in Kansas Territory in 1854 in Salt Creek Valley. Shortly after moving to Kansas, his father Isaac Cody, was stabbed while speaking for the free-state cause, but survived.
After his father’s death three years later, Cody took a job as a mounted messenger and was employed by Majors and Russell. Later, he rode the Pony Express for that company and is given credit for the third longest ride.
During the Civil War, he rode with irregular militia companies. It wasn’t until 1864 that he enlisted in the Union Army in the 7th Kansas Volunteer Infantry. He served in campaigns against noted Confederate Generals Nathan Bedford Forrest and Sterling Price. His primary role in the Army was that of a teamster.
Buffalo Bill as a Scout
He met Louisa Frederici while stationed in St. Louis and married her in 1866. After a brief stint as a hotel keeper with little success, he migrated west and found employment as a scout and a guide.
From 1867 – 68, he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad as a hunter to supply buffalo meat for the laborers. It was here he was given the nickname “Buffalo Bill.”
Cody came to the attention of Lieutenant General Philip Sheridan for carrying dispatches through hostile Indian territory and was hired as a chief of scouts for the 5th United States Cavalry. He served steadily from 1868 – 72 during a time when most scouts were employed monthly or only for specific assignments.
Buffalo Bill participated in sixteen Indian battles and was at the defeat of the Cheyenne on July 11, 1869 at Summit Springs. It was during this time that his fame began to grow and he was also hired as a guide for several hunting parties for European nobles, most notably, the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia in 1872.
He also guided Edward Zane Carroll Judson, more famously known as Ned Buntline. Buntline’s Dime Novels about Cody only further enhanced his reputation. During his lifetime, Cody was the hero in over 1,700 different dime novels written by 20 or more different writers.
It was Buntline who encouraged Cody to appear on the melodrama stage in Chicago, where he remained for 11 years beginning in 1872. However, during the summers, he spent his time scouting or guiding hunting parties.
Buffalo Bill and the Wild West Show
In 1883, Cody organized “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.” It quickly became an international success after several European tours, most notably when the Wild West Show appeared at Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in London in 1887.
Several famous people toured with Cody, including Buck Taylor, Annie Oakley, Johnny Baker and for one year, the great Sioux Chief Sitting Bull. The act performed by the show included shooting exhibitions, a mock stage coach attack, and a Pony Express relay race. The show also reenacted famous battles from the Wild West era such as the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show remained on tour for over 30 years and contributed much to the romanticized notion of the Cowboy and Indian that still exists today.
Source:
Lamar, Howard R, ed. The New Encyclopedia of the American West. New Haven and London, Yale University Press.
