Cambridge Township in Onsted in Lenawee County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Buffalo Bill
Photographed By Craig Doda, June 10, 2023
1. Buffalo Bill Marker
Inscription.
Buffalo Bill. . Born near LeClaire in Scott County, Iowa, on February 26, 1846, William F. Cody worked for a freight company as a messenger and wrangler before trying his luck as a prospector in the Pikes Peak Gold Rush in 1859. the next year, at age 14, Cody joined the Pony Express, fitting the bill for the advertised position: "skinny, expert riders willing to risk death daily." Cody later served in the American Civil War, and in 1897 he began buffalo hunting (to feed constructions crews building railroads), which would give him the nickname that would define him forever. His own assessment puts the number of buffalo he killed at 4,280, in just over a year and a half. In 1868, Cody returned to his work for the army as chief of scouts (and his ongoing work with the military garnered him the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1872, which was subsequently stripped and then reinstated), all the while becoming a national folk hero thanks to the dime-novel exploits of his alter ego, "Buffalo Bill." In late 1872, Cody went to Chicago to make his stage debut in "the scouts of the prairie," one of Ned Buntline's original wild west shows (Buntline was also the author of the Buffalo Bill novels). The next year, "Wild Bill" Hickock joined the show, and the troupe toured for ten years, in 1883, Cody founded his own show, "Buffalo Bill's Wild West," a circus-like extravaganza that toured widely for three decades in the United States and later in Europe. Besides Buffalo Bill himself, the Wild West Show starred sharpshooter Annie Oakley, and for one run, Chief Sitting Bull. A champion of women's rights and a lifelong soldier, Buffalo Bill Cody was more than just a wild west showman and buffalo hunter. But his larger-then-life persona, at times real and at others fictitious, is what lives on in the hearts and minds of fans of the frontier west.
Born near LeClaire in Scott County, Iowa, on February 26, 1846, William F. Cody worked for a freight company as a messenger and wrangler before trying his luck as a prospector in the Pikes Peak Gold Rush in 1859. the next year, at age 14, Cody joined the Pony Express, fitting the bill for the advertised position: "skinny, expert riders willing to risk death daily." Cody later served in the American Civil War, and in 1897 he began buffalo hunting (to feed constructions crews building railroads), which would give him the nickname that would define him forever. His own assessment puts the number of buffalo he killed at 4,280, in just over a year and a half. In 1868, Cody returned to his work for the army as chief of scouts (and his ongoing work with the military garnered him the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1872, which was subsequently stripped and then reinstated), all the while becoming a national folk hero thanks to the dime-novel exploits of his alter ego, "Buffalo Bill." In late 1872, Cody went to Chicago to make his stage debut in "the scouts of the prairie," one of Ned Buntline's original wild west shows (Buntline was also the author of the Buffalo Bill novels). The next year, "Wild Bill" Hickock joined the show, and the troupe toured for ten years, in 1883, Cody founded his own show, "Buffalo Bill's Wild West," a circus-like extravaganza
Click or scan to see this page online
that toured widely for three decades in the United States and later in Europe. Besides Buffalo Bill himself, the Wild West Show starred sharpshooter Annie Oakley, and for one run, Chief Sitting Bull. A champion of women's rights and a lifelong soldier, Buffalo Bill Cody was more than just a wild west showman and buffalo hunter. But his larger-then-life persona, at times real and at others fictitious, is what lives on in the hearts and minds of fans of the frontier west.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is February 26, 1846.
Location. 42° 3.471′ N, 84° 8.045′ W. Marker is in Onsted, Michigan, in Lenawee County. It is in Cambridge Township. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Michigan Ave (U.S. 12) and Rays Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7203 US-12, Onsted MI 49265, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 63 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 11, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.