North Platte in Lincoln County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Scout's Rest Ranch
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 2, 2013
1. Scout's Rest Ranch Marker
Inscription.
Scout's Rest Ranch. Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park. Built in 1886 at a cost of $3,900.00 Cody left planning of the house to his sister, Julia Goodman. Patrick Walsh was contracted to build the two-story, nine room house, with its numerous closets and pantries. The house is in second Empire Style with Italianate and East Lake features. Cody asked only that it be finished in six months (October 15 at the latest) and that the porches be 10 feet wide instead of the customary 6 feet. With the carpeting and furniture, the cost came to about $6,000. Cody ordered Royal Wilton, the “latest style” in carpeting, for the downstairs front rooms and requested all the furniture match in elegance. The rear addition was added in 1909. Prior to 1886, Cody's ranch had no particular name. When he built this house he hoped to be able to retire soon and become a “gentleman farmer.” Anticipating retirement, he thought of the place as Scout's Rest Ranch and began to refer to it that way. In 1887 when the big barn was built he had Scout's Rest Ranch painted on the roof in huge letters, as they are today.
Built in 1886 at a cost of $3,900.00 Cody left planning of the house to his sister, Julia Goodman. Patrick Walsh was contracted to build the two-story, nine room house, with its numerous closets and pantries. The house is in second Empire Style with Italianate and East Lake features. Cody asked only that it be finished in six months (October 15 at the latest) and that the porches be 10 feet wide instead of the customary 6 feet. With the carpeting and furniture, the cost came to about $6,000. Cody ordered Royal Wilton, the “latest style” in carpeting, for the downstairs front rooms and requested all the furniture match in elegance. The rear addition was added in 1909. Prior to 1886, Cody's ranch had no particular name. When he built this house he hoped to be able to retire soon and become a “gentleman farmer.” Anticipating retirement, he thought of the place as Scout's Rest Ranch and began to refer to it that way. In 1887 when the big barn was built he had Scout's Rest Ranch painted on the roof in huge letters, as they are today.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.
Location. 41° 9.777′ N, 100° 47.757′ W. Marker is in North Platte, Nebraska, in Lincoln
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County. Marker can be reached from Scouts Rest Ranch Road (State Highway 56E) 0.2 miles west of North Buffalo Bill Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located within Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, beside the sidewalk, near the southeast corner of Buffalo Bill's Scout's Rest Ranch house. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2921 Scouts Rest Ranch Road, North Platte NE 69101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Scout's Rest Ranch Marker (wide view; showing east side of house; marker at left)
Originally the 4000 acre Scout’s Rest Ranch, the historic park now consists of 16 acres that contain Buffalo Bill’s home as well as barns, outbuildings, and a variety of other features.
The barn, once used to house horses, now contains a collection of antique carriages that belonged to Bill as well as a variety of memorabilia from the days of his world-famous Wild West Show. (Submitted on October 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park. Home of famed showman scout William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park at North Platte recaptures the life and career of the famed Pony Express rider, Army scout and buffalo hunter-turned-showman.
The success of the show enabled Cody to build “The Mansion on the Prairie,” as the locals called it. The Second Empire-style house was the largest house in North Platte in the late 19th Century. It was Buffalo Bill’s home from 1886 to 1913. He raised cattle and purebred stallions on his 4,000 acres of land. A large barn was built in 1887 to house Cody’s ranch horses and stallions. (Submitted on October 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Buffalo Bill Ranch. Cody had land in Kansas that had many tall, established trees and wanted trees
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 2, 2013
3. Scout's Rest Ranch (southeast corner)
on his new ranch. Al Goodman, his brother-in-law, discovered why trees would not grow on his new property or the North Platte area. Goodman found issues of water absorption and planted many cottonwoods and box-elder around the property, able to withstand the conditions. The ranch now had many growing trees.
Cody had the words “Scout’s Rest Ranch” painted on the roof of the large barn, so that it could be read from the Union Pacific tracks a mile away.
This ranch was revolutionary for the time. Cody imported many blooded cattle and thoroughbred horses at a time when that was not common. The land was transformed from treeless prairie to a forested area. Despite advancements and profitable years, operating costs were high and Cody sold the ranch in 1911 for $100,000. (Submitted on October 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 261 times since then and 34 times this year. Last updated on October 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. submitted on October 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
