The original Buffalo Bill Museum, F.J. Hiscock photo, 1927. Mary Jester Allen Collection. P.41.502

Buffalo Bill

NOTE: Our Buffalo Bill Museum gallery is closed for renovation from October 3, 2011, through mid May 2012. Our other galleries remain open as usual, and favorite objects from the Buffalo Bill Museum will be on display elsewhere in the Center.

Tracing its roots to 1917, the Buffalo Bill Museum is the flagship museum of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. First opening its doors to the public in 1927 in a log cabin-style building in downtown Cody—modeled after Cody's house at his "TE Ranch"—southwest of town, the museum remained in that location until 1969 when it was relocated to a newly-built wing of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Here, as in its original incarnation, the Buffalo Bill Museum's focus is on the life and times of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846 – 1917), the noted guide, scout, frontiersman, showman, actor, entrepreneur, town founder, and American icon.

Positioning the story of Cody's life within the context of the history and myth of the American West, the museum documents how, in an age without television or motion pictures, and under the persona of "Buffalo Bill," Cody became the world's foremost communicator about the history, promise, and enduring spirit of the American West.

In addition to documenting the life and interests of William F. Cody, and the history and operations of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, the Buffalo Bill Museum collection interprets the history of the American cowboy, dude ranching, western conservation, frontier entrepreneurship, and the source of our concepts about the West.

Support a "new" Buffalo Bill Museum

In May 2012, encounter a great American icon, again...for the very first time! Learn the compelling story about the life and legacy of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody through authentic artifacts, state-of-the-art exhibits, and engaging interactives in the "new" Buffalo Bill Museum.

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