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Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Cody, born in Scott County, lowa, and raised on a farm, served briefly in the Civil War. Hunting buffalo for construction crews of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, he was dubbed "Buffalo Bill" because of his proficiency. He also served as civilian scout for U.S. generals Sheridan and Carr. Though he went east to begin a stage career in 1873, he returned west in 1876 to avenge Gen. Custer's defeat. Claiming to have killed Chief Tall Bull, he later brought the Wild West indoors and toured widely with his Wild West Show. Clever publicists, like Ned Buntline, Prentiss Ingraham, and John Burke, billed him as "Prince of the Plains" and made him the hero of countless stories and novels. Often in trouble and always in debt, Buffalo Bill toured Europe to recoup his fortunes. He became the darling of Queen Victoria's Jubilee in England and went on to France, Spain, and Italy, spreading the legend of the American West, depicting the wild yet romantic life which Europeans liked to think of as uniquely American, and paving the way for the 20th-century cowboy movie. The name Buffalo Bill was magic; in Victorian days he personified the American dream. But triumph turned to ashes. Tired of sham hero worship, Buffalo Bill drank heavily and involved himself in many foolish liaisons. Women doted on him, but his wife wanted a divorce. Sick children sought his touch, but his only son died in his arms. Manipulated by shrewd men, he had to perform his Wild West act daily to avoid bankruptcy. Finally, disillusioned, he petitioned the Federal government for the $10 monthly Congressional Medal-holders' dole. All his dreams had become nightmares. In 1910 Sam Goldberg released a slide series showing Buffalo Bill in action, and Harry Powers made the first moving picture of the Wild West Show, "300 thrills in 300 reels." But Bill himself was not able to utilize the new mass-media opportunities. Instead, the old man watched William S. Hart, Harry Carey, and Tom Mix fill the heroic void. When he died he was buried in Cody, Wyo.; since citizens of Denver plotted to steal the body, tons of concrete were poured over it. Thus the man whose life revolved in frantic motion had found his resting place. Buffalo Bill epitomized a whole phase of the American western movement and the final winning of the Great West. His reputation had been contrived and half-fictitious, but to his own code and image he remained faithful. Further ReadingThe best contemporary accounts of Buffalo Bill are Henry L. Williams, "Buffalo Bill" (1887), and Helen Cody Wetmore, Last of the Great Scouts (1899). The only thorough and scholarly biography is Richard J. Walsh, The Making of Buffalo Bill: A Study in Heroics (1928). Dan Muller, My Life with Buffalo Bill (1948), is a convincing apologia, while James Monaghan, The Great Rascal (1952), concentrates on the feet of clay. For the Cody literature see Albert Johannsen, The House of Beadle and Adams and Its Dime and Nickel Novels: The Story of a Vanished Literature (1950). □ |
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"Buffalo Bill." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Buffalo Bill." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404700973.html "Buffalo Bill." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404700973.html |
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Buffalo, Bill
Buffalo, Bill (1846–1917), American showman, born William Frederick Cody. He gained his nickname for killing 4,280 buffalo in eight months to feed the Union Pacific Railroad workers, and subsequently devoted his life to his travelling Wild West Show.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Buffalo, Bill." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Buffalo, Bill." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-BuffaloBill.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Buffalo, Bill." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-BuffaloBill.html |
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Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill. See Cody, William (“Buffalo Bill”).
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Paul S. Boyer. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Paul S. Boyer. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-BuffaloBill.html Paul S. Boyer. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-BuffaloBill.html |
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Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill. See Cody, William.
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Cite this article
Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-BuffaloBill.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-BuffaloBill.html |
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Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill, see Cody, W. F.
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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-BuffaloBill.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Buffalo Bill." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-BuffaloBill.html |
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Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill, see CODY.
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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Buffalo Bill." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Buffalo Bill." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-BuffaloBill.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Buffalo Bill." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-BuffaloBill.html |
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