Bufalo Bill
Nickname and work[edit]
William Frederick Cody ("Buffalo Bill") got his nickname after the American Civil War when he had a contract to supply Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. Cody earned the nickname by killing 4,280 American bison (commonly known as buffalo) in eighteen months, (1867–1868).[1] Cody and William Comstock competed in a buffalo-shooting match over the exclusive right to use the name, which Cody won by killing 68 bison to Comstock's 48.[2]
Cody had documented service as a soldier during the Civil War and as Chief of Scouts for the Third Cavalry during the Plains Wars. He claimed to have had many jobs, including as a trapper, bullwhacker, "Fifty-Niner" in Colorado, a Pony Express rider in 1860, wagonmaster, stagecoach driver, and a hotel manager, but historians have had difficulty documenting them, and he may have fabricated some for publicity.[3]
He became world famous for his Wild West shows, which toured in Great Britain and Europe. Audiences were enthusiastic about seeing a piece of the American West.[4] The adventure story writer Emilio Salgari met Buffalo Bill in Italy, saw his show, and later featured him as a hero in some of his novels.
Early life and education[edit]
William Frederick Cody was born on February 26, 1846 on a farm just outside of Le Claire, Iowa.[5] Cody's father Isaac was born in Toronto Township, Peel County, Upper Canada, on September 5, 1811. Mary Ann Bonsell Laycock, Cody's mother, was born about 1817 near Philadelphia but within New Jersey. Mary moved to Cincinnati to teach school and it was here she met and married Isaac. Mary was a descendant of Josiah Bunting, a Quaker who settled in Pennsylvania; however, there is no historical evidence to indicate Buffalo Bill was raised as a Quaker.[6] He was baptized as William Cody in the Dixie Union Chapel in Peel County (present-day Peel Region), Ontario, Canada in 1847, not far from his family's farm. The Chapel was built with Cody money and the land
William Frederick Cody ("Buffalo Bill") got his nickname after the American Civil War when he had a contract to supply Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. Cody earned the nickname by killing 4,280 American bison (commonly known as buffalo) in eighteen months, (1867–1868).[1] Cody and William Comstock competed in a buffalo-shooting match over the exclusive right to use the name, which Cody won by killing 68 bison to Comstock's 48.[2]
Cody had documented service as a soldier during the Civil War and as Chief of Scouts for the Third Cavalry during the Plains Wars. He claimed to have had many jobs, including as a trapper, bullwhacker, "Fifty-Niner" in Colorado, a Pony Express rider in 1860, wagonmaster, stagecoach driver, and a hotel manager, but historians have had difficulty documenting them, and he may have fabricated some for publicity.[3]
He became world famous for his Wild West shows, which toured in Great Britain and Europe. Audiences were enthusiastic about seeing a piece of the American West.[4] The adventure story writer Emilio Salgari met Buffalo Bill in Italy, saw his show, and later featured him as a hero in some of his novels.
Early life and education[edit]
William Frederick Cody was born on February 26, 1846 on a farm just outside of Le Claire, Iowa.[5] Cody's father Isaac was born in Toronto Township, Peel County, Upper Canada, on September 5, 1811. Mary Ann Bonsell Laycock, Cody's mother, was born about 1817 near Philadelphia but within New Jersey. Mary moved to Cincinnati to teach school and it was here she met and married Isaac. Mary was a descendant of Josiah Bunting, a Quaker who settled in Pennsylvania; however, there is no historical evidence to indicate Buffalo Bill was raised as a Quaker.[6] He was baptized as William Cody in the Dixie Union Chapel in Peel County (present-day Peel Region), Ontario, Canada in 1847, not far from his family's farm. The Chapel was built with Cody money and the land