Cody, William Frederick

(1846-1917)

   Born in Iowa, Cody became a popular stage attraction in plays depicting his exploits as a frontiersman and scout before, during, and after the American Civil War . When Ned Buntline wrote of "Buffalo Bill" Cody's adventures in serial form in 1869, various actors, including John B. Studley, played Cody in melodrama adaptations, leading Buntline to craft a play, The Scouts of the Prairie (1872), in which Cody played himself in a Chicago production. Despite Cody's lack of acting experience and the play's pedestrian quality, urban audiences were thrilled to see a genuine frontier hero. Cody appeared in similar melodramas during the 1870s and early 1880s, continuing to work as a scout for the Army between theatrical seasons. Cody partnered with William F. Carver in 1883 to stage an outdoor Wild West Show, but disagreements ended their collaboration. Nate Salsbury took over to exploit the Wild West Show for a remarkable 34 years, generating publicity with American and European tours, despite occasional financial problems that finally shuttered the show in 1915. Among the many acts to appear in Cody's Wild West Show were sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who joined his company in 1885, and Chief Sitting Bull.