Monday, May 25, 2009

Buffalo Bill and the wild, wild West

On the way to Cody, WY we had to cross the Buffalo Bill Dam. Already there I have learned how strong the influence of this man was back then - and still it is today. His name is still good for all kind of commercials.

Buffalo Bill Dam
is a concrete arch-gravity dam[1] on the Shoshone River in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The dam is named after the famous old West figure William "Buffalo Bill" Cody who founded the nearby town of Cody and who owned much of the land now covered by the reservoir formed by the dam, which also bears his name. The dam was part of the Shoshone Project, one of the first projects overseen by the Bureau of Reclamation. The dam was built from 1905 and 1910. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest dam in the world at 325 feet.[2] The land around the reservoir is maintained as Buffalo Bill State Park. The dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was also named a National Civil Engineering Landmark.


The entrance to the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody.
Bill was indeed also a good looking man!

Buffalo Bill
One of the most colorful figures of the Old West became the best known spokesman for the New West. He was born William Frederick Cody in Iowa in 1846. At 22, in Kansas, he was rechristened "Buffalo Bill". He had been a trapper, a bull whacker, a Colorado "Fifty-Niner", Pony Express rider (1860), wagon master, stagecoach driver, Civil War soldier, and even hotel manager. He earned his nickname for his skill while supplying Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. He was about to embark on a career as one of the most illustrious prairie scouts of the Indian Wars.


The Buffalo Bill Museum
at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, presents an interesting and authentic look at the life and times of William F. Cody. It contains displays of his early scouting, family life and, of course, the famous Wild West Show.


In the garden is this pretty sculpture of the Indian women "Sacagawea", made by Harry Jackson

Sacagawea (also Sakakawea, Sacajawea; ([sɑ.kaː.ʒə.wiː.ə] see below) (c. 1788 – December 20, 1812; see below for other theories about her death) was a Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, in their exploration of the Western United States. She traveled thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean between 1804 and 1806. She was nicknamed Janey by Clark.

Reliable historical information about Sacagawea is extremely limited, but she has become an important part of the Lewis and Clark mythology in the American public imagination. The National American Woman Suffrage Association of the early twentieth century adopted her as a symbol of women's worth and independence, erecting several statues and plaques in her memory, and doing much to spread the story of her accomplishments.


Another beautiful bronze sculpture is called " The Unknown"


For the most I was fascinated from this excellent painting
about life of the Natives in America - it's a wonderful piece of art!



Hi my friends,

thank you so much for your wonderful comments to my "Wordless Sunday" post. Your compliments are very touching to me.

Finally I can show you the promised photos from the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody,WY. I hope you'll enjoy like I did and if you have the chance, go there and see it yourself!

Stay tuned with me for my coming posts - see you soon!
Susanne and David

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post. I agree the painting is beautiful.

imhkki said...

interesting photos, thanks

Anne Vis said...

Beautiful pictures and great info, thanks for sharing! :-)

Carole said...

Lovely post Susanne. I love the statues and the painting especially

A Lady's Life said...

Love the wild wild west painting.and statues.
Lovely.:)
Buffalo Bill was also interesting Thanks:)

Jen Rinaldi Photography said...

Wow! That first shot is gorgeous w/ the smooth look of the water!

Aaron Soares said...

Ive been to Cody, wonderful place. Even collected some red dirt from the back country while in WY!
The painting is very unique too!

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