James Ersfeld Symposium Sept. 11-12
Buffalo Bill Cody and the Bison in American History
The James Ersfeld Symposium
September 11-12, 2026
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Western Writers of America and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West invite you to the second annual James Ersfeld Symposium at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming, on September 11-12, 2026.
The two-day symposium, “Buffalo Bill Cody and the Bison in American History” will bring historians, authors, and museum curators together to discuss and investigate the significance of Cody and bison in Western history.
Highlights of the weekend will include a Western Writers Hall of Fame and Induction Ceremony and Reception Friday night at the Center of the West, including entertainment by Gone with the West, an award-winning, Nashville-based all-female Western music supergroup. Formed by four veteran singer-songwriters, the band was named “Group of the Year” by both the International Western Music Association and the Academy of Western Artists. They are celebrated for their exquisite four-part harmonies, traditional cowboy ballads, and fresh original songs.
On Saturday, the morning will feature three panel discussions on Buffalo Bill Cody and Museums, Buffalo Bill Cody in Film and Literature, and the American Bison Today. Panelists presenting include Western historians Paul Andrew Hutton, Paul Fees, Andrew Patrick Nelson, Charles Rankin, Stuart Rosebrook, and Kathleen O’Neal Gear and Michael Gear.
The Hal and Naoma Tate Endowed Chair and Curator of Western History Dr. Paul Andrew Hutton will provide the afternoon keynote address “The Man Who Invented the West: Buffalo Bill Cody.” The evening will feature a special reception, dinner, and Spur Award winning author Jane Little Botkin. She will be speaking on Mary Ann Goodnight’s life and role in saving the American Buffalo, from her new book, The Breath of a Buffalo, The Life of Mary Ann Goodnight, from the University of Oklahoma Press.
Tours of the Buffalo Bill Museum and McCracken Research Library will also be scheduled on Friday and Saturday.
Registration is $125 for the full two-day symposium and $75 for the Saturday night dinner and keynote address . For more information, please contact WWA President Stuart Rosebrook at [email protected] or at 480-820-5545.