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Points West Online

Welcome to Points West Online. In this blog we share articles from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s print magazine, Points West. Enjoy the full range of topics related to the West as we post stories from recent issues, and even delve into the archives from the past twenty years. And if you’re interested in receiving a printed copy of our magazine going forward, join our membership program—it’s one of the benefits!


Pair of spurs, ca. 1880. 1.69.5
July 22, 2024

Earn Your Spurs – Points West Online

Originally published in Points West magazine Spring 2023 The Way West: Earn Your Spurs By Jim Arndt William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody…

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A performer who may be Oglala Lakota Chief Iron Tail plays ping pong with a fellow castmate as Joe Black Fox and a group Native performers, cowboys, vaqueros, and Cossacks watch the match. MS 6 William F. Cody Collection, McCracken Research Library. P.69.1031
July 10, 2024

A Spirited Wild West Volley – Points West Online

Originally published in Points West magazine History EditionWinter 2022 A Spirited Wild West Volley By Mack Frost The performers and crew who…

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Large group of people, some with musical instruments.
April 5, 2024

Black Musicians in the Wild West

Originally published in Points West magazine History Edition, Winter 2024 Black Musicians in the Wild West: The Curious History of Ferris’s Satisfied…

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The Harry Yount Enigma: Yellowstone’s First Park Ranger

Buried among the sublime passes of the Sierra Nevada are old men, who, when children, strayed away from our crowded settlements, and,…

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Winchester 1805 (1988.8.3888) and Colt Walker 1847 (1996.12.1)
December 18, 2023

Pommel & Pistol: A brief history of handguns on horseback – Points West Online

Originally published in Points West magazineFall 2022 Pommel & Pistol: A brief history of handguns on horseback By Danny Michael Since the…

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Birth of Global War display in the Cody Firearms Museum.
November 17, 2023

A Cautionary Tale: Modified 98k Mauser – Points West Online

Originally published in Points West magazineFall 2023 Reloaded: A Cautionary Tale By Steve Sanetti In 1964, my father was a recently divorced…

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