Buffalo Bill

American frontiersman and showman (1846–1917)

William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (February 26, 1846 – January 10, 1917) was an American soldier, bison hunter and showman.

Buffalo Bill
Born
William Frederick Cody

(1846-02-26)February 26, 1846
near Le Claire, Iowa, U.S.
DiedJanuary 10, 1917(1917-01-10) (aged 70)
Cause of deathKidney failure
Resting placeLookout Mountain, Golden, Colorado
39°43′57″N 105°14′17″W / 39.73250°N 105.23806°W / 39.73250; -105.23806 (Grave of William "Buffalo Bill" Cody)
Other namesBuffalo Bill Cody
Occupation(s)Army scout, Pony Express rider, ranch hand, wagon train driver, buffalo hunter, fur trapper, gold prospector, showman
Known forBuffalo Bill Wild West shows which provided education and entertainment about bronco riding, handling bovine and equine livestock, roping, and other herdsmen skills seen in present day rodeos
Spouse
Louisa Frederici (1843–1921)
(m. 1866⁠–⁠1917)
Children
  • Arta Cody (1866-1904)
  • Kit Carson Cody (1870-1876)
  • Orra Maude Cody (1872-1883)
  • Irma Louisa Cody Garlow (1883-1918)
Kit died of scarlet fever in April 1876, and his daughter Orra died in 1883
Parents
  • Isaac Cody
  • Mary Ann Bosnell Laycock Cody
AwardsMedal of Honor
Signature

Early life

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He was born in the Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), in Le Claire but he grew up for several years in his father's hometown in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory.

Career

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Buffalo Bill started working at the age of eleven after his father's death. He became a rider for the Pony Express at age 14. During the American Civil War, he served from 1863 to the end of the war in 1865. Later he served as a civilian scout to the US Army during the Indian Wars, receiving the Medal of Honor in 1872.

One of the most colorful figures of the American Old West, Buffalo Bill became famous for the Wild West shows he organized with cowboy themes, which he toured in Great Britain and Europe as well as the United States.

Cody died of kidney failure on January 10, 1917, surrounded by family and friends at his sister's house in Denver. Cody was baptized into the Catholic Church the day before his death by Father Christopher Walsh of the Denver Cathedral.[1][2][3]

References

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  1. Russell, Don (1979). The Lives and Legends of Buffalo Bill. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 469. ISBN 978-1-4343-4148-8.
  2. Weber, Francis J. (1979). America's Catholic heritage: some bicentennial reflections, 1776–1976. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin – Madison. p. 49.
  3. Mosesl, L.G. (1999). The Lives and Legends of Buffalo Bill. New Mexico: UNM Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-8263-2089-6.

Other websites

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  Media related to Buffalo Bill at Wikimedia Commons