Buffalo
Bill was born William Frederick Cody in Scott County, Iowa in
1846. Cody was only eleven years old when his father died and
he and his mother moved to Kansas. Early as a teenager Cody
had tried out a line of hard work such as a Wrangler, Trapper,
Gold digger a mounted messenger for a big wagon-freight company
and in 1860 he joined the well known Ponney express.
During
the civil war Cody was a scout for the Union army. After the
war he married Louisa Frederici in St Louis. 1867 Cody took
up the trade that gave him his nickname "Buffalo Bill".
By recommendation from another famous western legend "Wild
Bill Hickok" Cody got the job as a buffalo hunter for the
railroad company "Kansas Pacific railroad". Cody became
known as a very skilful hunter and he is supposed to have won
his nickname by winning an eight-hour shooting match with a
hunter named William Comstock.
1868
tree years after the end of the civil war, he returned to work
for the army as chief of scouts, where he took part in 16 battles.
He won the congressional medal of honor in 1876 for his skills,
bravery and service over these years. Cody became a real national
folk hero thanks to the dime novels written by Ned Buntline,
and in 1873 Ned Buntline persuaded Cody to appear in his play
"The scout of the plains". From this point Cody's
reputation grow faster than his exploits and he remained an
actor for eleven years.
But
not even show business could keep Cody away from the west, so
when the big Sioux rebellion broke out in 1876 Cody was once
again back in service as an army scout. It was also during these
Indian wars his fight with Sioux chief Yellow hand took place.
1880
was the year when he finally started his "Wild west show",
which he was on tour with in American and Europe for many years.
But even though his western show was very successful with famous
Indian chiefs and western legends like Sitting Bull, Annie Oakley,
Wild Bill, Buffalo Bill became more and more in debt. And when
his eventful life ended on January 10, 1917 Denver Colorado
he was destitute...
Buffalo Bills Wild West
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Gallery page
