A Famous Enigma: The Truth about Buffalo Bill
“This is the West Sir, when the legend becomes fact, print the legend” (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance)
Several days ago, we were able to visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. This museum had a wing dedicated fully to the life and achievements of the American sensation and superstar Buffalo Bill. This exhibit, some personal research, and the class discussion that followed really got me engaged in the story of Buffalo Bill: the classic story, its connotations, and most interestingly, the more complex and sinister parts of the story that may not be so widely known, shared and celebrated.
The Story as Told by the Museum
The exhibit allowed me to get a preliminary idea of major events and successes in Buffalo Bill’s life. His given name was William Frederick Cody, and while he was young, he was “schooled more outdoors than in” (Buffalo Bill Center of the West) which contributed to his lifelong curiosity and versatility. Cody eventually became a scout for the army near the end of the Civil War. In 1867, he hunted buffalo for railroad work crews where he earned his title Buffalo Bill. He once again joined the army during the “American Frontier Wars” as a scout and he began to gain popularity in the media, mostly from his participation in famed luxurious hunting expeditions.
During these years, Buffalo Bill was a common character starring in many fictional and partly true magazine stories and performances about heroes and villains of the West. Soon enough, Cody began to portray himself as Buffalo Bill in many of these shows and began his life as a performer. During the Battle of Warbonnet Creek (a battle allegedly meant to avenge General Custer’s death) Cody dressed in stage clothes, killed and scalped a Cheyanne warrior named Yellow Hair, calling this killing the “first scalp for Custer”. This event seemed to show people that Buffalo Bill was the “real deal”, a real soldier more than just a character, which launched him further into the spotlight. Around this time, he was quoted: “I’m no scout now, I’m a first-class star!” (Buffalo Bill Center of the West)
Cody was an entrepreneur searching for success. He invested in the building of a town and helped develop it as a school, a hotel, and a railroad were added. He began some irrigation initiatives and published a newspaper for the town. The result of these efforts is the modern town of Cody, Wyoming. Although he had many failed business endeavors and investments, his greatest success by far was show business; he was an American sensation. He became so well known as an excellent performer that he ran his show for the Queen of England in 1887 and the Pope in 1890.
The museum highlighted that the show had a diverse cast including performers from every continent and many indigenous people. The story presented is that he treated indigenous folk well and advocated for their citizenship. It is said he respected natives and protested abusive federal policies concerning native issues. His show is and was celebrated as the best Wild West show to exist; Buffalo Bill is a symbol of the American Frontier, best known as the man who gave the Wild West its name.
The Complexities of the Untold Story
There is no doubt that Buffalo Bill was an important historical figure, but after looking deeper, whether he had a beneficial influence can be debated. First, the biases displayed in the museum exhibit must be addressed. Buffalo Bill is a national hero with a reputation to uphold. He was seen as a courageous warrior fighting dangerous enemies to settle the West. It is a story of American bravery and success, an integral part of the American myths about settling the West. Furthermore, if his name was tarnished it could harm people. The economy of the modern town of Cody relies entirely on tourism centered around Buffalo Bill and his accomplishments. It may not be logistically wise to reveal harsh truths about someone held in such high historical esteem. It is also important to note that this Buffalo Bill portion of the museum was curated by Cody’s living relatives, people who would be very interested in preserving Cody’s heroic reputation. Overall, it could be difficult to uncover uncomfortable truths about a man so nationally renowned- it could be labeled as unamerican blasphemy- which could be a reason for the lack of depth I felt in the museum.
The exhibit states that because his shows included people from all continents and native people, he was not racist and had a “commitment to diversity”. This is a problematic oversimplified conclusion. Cody felt that his show was educational, and he wanted to have real Indians to tell the “real story”. Although he may have viewed his show this way, or at least presented it as such, it seems likely that the reason he was so concerned with diversity would be to present a “circus” of the bizarre and unusual. He would’ve wanted to create an intriguing phenomenon of the foreign because he knew it was what would draw people in. He was a businessman and a performer; he knew what would make a successful show and this was part of the equation.
Furthermore, Buffalo Bill’s claim to fame was his violence against Native Americans; he was celebrated as an “Indian Fighter”. When you google Buffalo Bill, his listed title is “American soldier”-not celebrity or performer- clearly demonstrating that he won his fame and reputation through attacks and brutal killings of natives and the continued exploitation of that story. All his early performances included reenactments of the battle where Cody shot and scalped Yellow Hair. The shows would dramatize and glamourize the event and celebrate the defeat of the terrible Indian villain. Horrifyingly, the human scalp of the warrior Yellow Hair was paraded around as a symbol of glory and power used as an advertisement for Cody’s show for many years. This context makes it incredibly difficult to believe that Buffalo Bill was the champion of indigenous rights the museum makes him out to be.
There were reasons for native people to join his cast other than his supposed “respect and advocacy” for them. The show did allow native people to continue certain traditions and preserve very limited parts of their culture as opposed to other circumstances where assimilating would be necessary. They were paid a little and fed, and the show provided performers from every continent a way to see the rest of the world which drew them in. It also allowed the world to see them, which some would argue was beneficial as it let people learn about other cultures. Unfortunately, the show was quick to reinforce stereotypes and harmful ideas about certain cultures. The show presented events such as war and important cultural traditions in a theatrical, fantastical, sterilized way, simultaneously convincing the viewers that this portrayal represented reality. Indigenous people especially had their culture and beliefs exploited for profit, it was clear that they were the “other” and they had to play parts that portrayed native people as aggressors who would attack. Even if his intentions were pure Cody’s show spread misinformation and encouraged racism based on stereotypes.
There is an argument that his views changed as he aged, and that he formed an inclusive community with his cast. It’s true that people and their beliefs can change through life, but I wonder how much of the story in the exhibit was deduced from enlarged truths and how it was purposely or subconsciously modified to fit the script of an honorable Western hero. Which narratives have been twisted to become more palatable to our 21st-century standard? The reality is Cody’s time in the army was a direct contribution to obliterating indigenous people. He made a name for himself through the glorified battle and scalp for Custer, profiting off it his whole life. He was famous for personally killing over 4,000 buffalo, an animal sacred to natives and necessary to their survival. He ran a show framed as an “opportunity” for indigenous people that actually celebrated colonization and spread racist stereotypes. These events seem to indicate that Buffalo Bill was both a racist colonizer and a talented showman concerned with success and his reputation. Even if he truly did have respect for natives, what he did through his whole life actively harmed them deeply, meaning he prioritized his success over any concern for native people.
The fact that Buffalo Bill was incredibly problematic does not make him unimportant. His influence is still greatly felt today. He developed the whole iconography of the era; he is a large part of the reason kids played “Cowboys and Indians”, and he is the instigator of the whole wild west genre of television. And of course, he is glorified, like any famous American historical figure. In a way, the story of Buffalo Bill himself represents another larger story- the “triumphant tale” of the American settling of the West, which is why his tale is usually told in such a compelling, heroic way. The museum also shows how Bill presented himself, it tells the story that he created about himself. Other stories in the museum are mostly retellings of the stories told about him, and there is no solid way to separate all fact from fiction Both his characterization of Buffalo Bill and his shows were instrumental in the formation of most ideas about the Wild West. As his whole performance personality was based on dramatized and inflated stories aiming to please the crowd, I wonder how genuinely truth-based many of our conceptions about the whole world of the Wild West may be.