Lariat Loop Byway: Buffalo Bill Museum
The Lariat Loop is a scenic circle of natural splendors, historic and cultural treasures and recreation pleasures. See spectacular mountain scenery and enjoy a vintage auto tour in foothills canyons. Welcome to 40 miles of fun.
Lariat Loop Byway: Buffalo Bill Museum When William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody visited Lookout Mountain park, he was impressed by the view of mountains and plains. He told his wife Louisa, daughter Irma, foster son Johnny Baker, and others that he would like to be buried up here. After his death in 1917, his family had him buried in Lookout Mountain Park in accordance with his wishes. Codys gravesite soon became a popular destination. In 1921 Johnny Baker opened a museum, gift shop and restaurant in a building he called “Pahaska Tepee.” Pahaska, meaning “Long Hair,” had been the Lakota nickname for Buffalo Bill.
Johnny Bakers museum contained many artifacts that had belonged to Buffalo Bill, as well as posters and other materials Baker collected over the thirty years he performed with Buffalo Bills Wild West. Friends of Buffalo Bill, former performers with the Wild West and people who had seen the show added to this collection. In 1979 the museum was moved out of Pahaska Tepee into its own building. Today the Buffalo Bill Museum, Pahaska Tepee gift shop and cafe, and Buffalo Bills grave are all part of a complex owned and operated by the City of Denver Parks and Recreation Department. Exhibits about Buffalo Bill and the Old West can be enjoyed in the Museum while gift items and food can be purchased in Pahaska Tepee.
Interpretive panels were funded in part by the Federal Highway Administration, Denver Mountain Parks Foundation, and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.
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Location. 39° 43.985′ N, 105° 14.319′ W. Marker is near Golden, Colorado, in Jefferson County. It is in Lakota Hills. It is on Lariat Loop Road. Marker is at parking lot of the Buffalo Bill Museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Golden CO 80401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Front Range. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lariat Loop Byway: Denver Mountain Parks (here, next to this marker); Who Was Buffalo Bill? (here, next to this marker); Buffalo Bill's Grave Frequently Asked Questions (within shouting distance of this marker); Buffalo Bill's Grave Why is Buffalo Bill Buried Here? (within shouting distance of this marker); Buffalo Bill
Another marker is no longer nearby. In Memory of Charles E. Kirk (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on November 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2011, by Charles T. Harrell of Woodford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 965 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 27, 2011, by Charles T. Harrell of Woodford, Virginia. 2. submitted on October 31, 2025, by Leslie Eudy of Golden, Colorado. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
