It’s not unusual for a man to bestow a beloved moniker on his favorite fishing rod (Bessie), his shiny truck (Ol’ Red), his saber saw (Killer)—or his rifle. Even as far back as 1867, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody was no exception. When he acquired his “new buffalo killer,” a Springfield .50 caliber trapdoor needle […]
THE AMERICAN WEST: CHARACTERS WELCOME. Like a popular TV network, the American West might be indeed be subtitled, “Characters welcome”—especially with remarkable women like Annie Oakley. Annie was born Phoebe Ann Moses—Annie to her family—on August 13, 1860, in Darke County, Ohio. After the death of her father and stepfather, the 9-year-old Annie lived with the superintendent’s […]
“Hello, may I speak to the Curator, please?” Here at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, we often get calls from folks who ask that question. But, we have five museums; hence, we have five curators—one for each section. (Actually, we now have six curators as we have a curator of public history, too.) […]
“On to Little Big Horn for glory,” George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) announced in June 1876. “We’ve caught them napping.” Napping indeed. The battle was over in “as long as it takes for a hungry man to eat his dinner,” according to Two Moons, a chief of the Cheyenne. U.S. […]
What better way to celebrate the American West than with cowboys, especially on Saturday, July 26, 2014, National Cowboy Day. Since the West is “front and center” in our name—Buffalo Bill CENTER of the West—we think we’re the perfect spot for you who love the West to spend the day. Merely stepping on our premises is sure […]
True or false? Pioneers like these portrayed in the Center’s painting The Road to Oregon (The Trail Through the South Pass Had Been Worn Deep With the Wheel Tracks of the Covered Wagons), 1933, by W.H.D. Koerner, made their way along the Oregon Trail in covered wagons called “Conestogas.” Wait a minute—is this a trick question? It […]