The Legend of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West

Buffalo Bill is a true American icon of yesteryear. He was an American soldier during the Civil War, fighting on the side of the Union. He then served as a scout, gaining the Medal of Honour and subsequently worked as a bison hunter for a short time. Always linked to the history of Colorado, he gained fame across the globe for his travelling show. Read on as we discuss the legendary Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and why it was so important.

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West

Known in the US and around the globe, Buffalo Bill’s travelling vaudeville show featured scenes from the American frontier and performances from characters who had lived through it. This included luminaries like Sitting Bull and Annie Oakley. The show was so in demand that Bill and his entourage were present at the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower and even played in the amphitheatre in Rome.

His stage debut came in Chicago in 1872. Starring in a stage play named Scouts of the Prairie, this outing led to him inviting a host of characters to join his troupe. The Buffalo Bill Combination would tour for ten years. In 1883 this became the travelling attraction known as Buffalo Bill’s Wild West

Travelling the Globe

Each show would begin with a horseback parade. It was not just confined to those with a US background but showcased riders from around the world, including Georgian, Turkish and Mongolian riders. The stage show followed and comprised of many celebrities in their own right, such as well known gunslingers and Calamity Jane herself.   

The value of these travelling shows is often underestimated. They were one of the main ways in which American culture was taken across the world, and in return other cultures would spread across the West, shaping what was to become the US.

A perfect example of cultural pursuits that changed during this time can be found in the game of poker. Now a huge industry both physically and online. Its variations such as Texas Holdem and Omaha have evolved not over time but from the movement of these early pioneers who made the games fluid, moving them from place to place. Colorado still has a strong culture of poker, holding regular games and tours in its casinos.  

The Buffalo Bill Museum

The museum tells the story of this hero, though in a fairly standard fashion. The real attraction is his grave. This was the scene of a heated argument upon his death, with the town he found demanding he be laid to rest there despite the wishes of his wife and sister. They had had him buried on Colorado’s Lookout Mountain.  

Later, this was followed up with many accusations that his body had been switched. Despite his being well known and it being an open-casket funeral, a guard had to be placed next to him until his burial. This was exasperated even further when in 1925, his niece said that his body had been switched following the death of his widow.  

The museum is easy to access from Denver. Just head to Lookout Mountain and you should be able to see signs. However, it is not the only token of Bill and the Old West. Plenty of other museums in Colorado and sights remain to remind you of this crucial time in US history.