| What makes it historical? |
This house was originally located in LeClaire, Iowa, where the Cody family settled in 1849. They left home within a year to take part in the great California Gold Rush but only made it about fifty miles before reconsidering and turning back! The Cody family lingered here until 1853 before moving to Leavenworth, Kansas.
“Willie” Cody left home at eleven to become a cattle herder, fur trapper, Pony Express rider, and Army scout, where his hunting skills changed his nickname to “Buffalo” Bill! His Wild West life took him into showbusiness 15 years later when he appeared in the stage production of “Scouts of the Prairie” in Chicago. The following year, Buffalo Bill and his friend “Texas Jack” Omohundro set off to create their own troupe, first called the Buffalo Bill Combination and later Buffalo Bill’s Wild West!
These outdoor shows employed both local cowboys and cowgirls (even turning that name from an insult to a term of endearment), as well as local Native Americans (“Americans” as Bill marketed them), and even live cows, elk, and bison! The show toured across the American West before being invited east to perform at Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887! The show is credited with improving US-British relations!
So how did Buffalo Bill’s childhood home make its way to Cody, Wyoming? In the early days of American national parks, the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad would give tours of Yellowstone National Park, based out of Cody. The only problem was that the rail depot was across the river from Cody, which more or less kept the tourists hostage. The railroad, which went through Iowa, learned that Buffalo Bill’s home was still intact and actually had it shipped all the way out to Cody in 1933 to serve as entertainment for these river-bound tourists!
The home would move again in 1947 after roads made train tours obsolete, then again in 1969 when the Buffalo Bill Museum was sold, and then a fourth time in 2004 to the grounds of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West where it still stands today! |
| When should I go? |
Hours are seasonal! In March and April, the museum is open daily from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM! From May to September 15, it’s open from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM! From September 16 until October 31, it closes one hour earlier at 5:00 PM! In November, it opens two hours later at 10:00 AM, and from December to February, it maintains the 10-5 schedule but is only open from Thursday to Sunday! |
