Originally featured in Points West magazine in Summer 2012
Photograph, “Buffalo Bill” shooting glass target balls from horseback
In this photograph, likely taken in 1907 or 1909 when Buffalo Bill’s Wild West played Chicago, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody enters the arena and circles on horseback while shooting glass target balls—thrown aloft by a cowboy cast member—out of the air. By this time, the “Man of the West” had already taken the show overseas to perform throughout Europe on three different occasions. Cody was well-established as a “Man of the World” and contributed immeasurably to spreading the appeal of the American West beyond the United States to a worldwide audience.
With the reopening of our Buffalo Bill Museum in 2012, the “Man of the West, Man of the World” has re-entered the arena—so-to-speak—here at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Through a thoroughly redesigned gallery with new exhibits and interactive elements, we continue Buffalo Bill’s own tradition of sharing the Spirit of the American West with a worldwide audience of visitors, both in person and online.
Black and white photograph. Buffalo Bill on horseback, shooting glass balls thrown by cowboy on horseback, 1907 – 1909. Burke and Atwell Studio, Chicago. Original Buffalo Bill Museum Collection. P.69.3
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