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Nebraska Authors

William Frederick Cody

AKA: Buffalo Bill

Born 1846-02-26 LeClaire, IA (USA)

Died 1917-01-10
Denver, CO (USA)

Buried
Lookout Mt., CO (USA)

Cody was a soldier, scout, bison hunter, rancher and, above all, a great American showman. Buffalo Bill, as he is commonly known, started working at the age of eleven, after his father's death, and became a rider for the Pony Express at age 14. During the American Civil War, he served the Union from 1863 to the end of the war in 1865. Later he served as a civilian scout for the US Army during the Indian Wars.
One of the most colorful figures of the American Old West, Buffalo Bill started performing in shows that displayed cowboy themes and episodes from the frontier and Indian Wars. In 1883, in the area of North Platte, Nebraska, Cody founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West, a circus-like attraction that toured annually throughout the United States and, beginning in 1887, in Great Britain and Europe.
A number of important Native Americans toured with Cody, among them the Oglala Lakota holy man Black Elk.

Places Lived

LeClaire, IA
Toronto, CANADA
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory
Fort MacPherson, NE
Kansas
North Platte, NE
Cody, WY
Rochester, NY
Colorado

Author Of

  • Biography
  • Fiction

Keywords

Autobiography

Occupation

Soldier
Showman

Places Worked

Buffalo Bill's Wild West

Honors

“150 Notable Nebraskans”, Number 8 on the Journal Star Sesquicentennial List of Significant Nebraskans
He received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for his military service

Associations

Pony Express
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

Bibliography

The Life of Hon. William F. Cody Known As Buffalo Bill The Famous Hunter, Scout and Guide: An Autobiography. 1879.
The Great Salt Lake. 1898. (coauthor Henry Inman)
The Life and Adventures of Buffalo Bill. 1917.

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William Frederick Cody
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(e.g. Author is buried in Fremont, not in David City / Also wrote for the Daily Nebraskan during her time as a student)