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while you're at the Stock Show a quick 30 minute drive will take you to the
final resting place of William Cody
better known as Buffalo Bill located high atop Lookout Mountain on the
western edge of Denver
the gravesite in museum celebrate the life the main
who created the myth of the west and the legend
the American cowboy a buffalo bill really grew up
in the wild west it was a Western he then took I have
put together with his Wild West shows a promoted that period of time in American
history was a time when we're creating
it's that is our mythical period the stories that the Cowboys the stories in
the frontiers would like Buffalo Bill
become a part of america's legend america's myth
so buffalo bill was there taking part not only in the real
last but also taking part in creation the legendary West
he came to Colorado in 1859 as part of the car a gold rush
as well as took part in the Pony Express
and was in the Civil War briefly and then after the Civil War
he was hired as a buffalo hunter than it was during the time the Buffalo Bill 100
for me
for the railroads that he acquired that me Buffalo Grove why we say the Buffalo
Bills the right person
at the right time with the right place he was at that time in American history
man we start seeing a lot more promotion
we're seeing a lot of media for example starting to originate
initially when he started out was in the dime novels in newspapers
by the time his death he was ready in movies so use both the real thing
and a showman at a time when America was starting to look at itself and say
who are our heroes who can we choose as heroes
the Wild West Show consisted of all sorts of axe from the west
you had a recreation of a pony express ride you had the Kairos
showing a roping skills you had indians
and cavalry man reenacting episodes
from the Union wars you had any local
shooting her gun and showing that she was the best shot in the world you had
races between people of different nationalities
later in the show buffalo bill actually had
gal chose from Argentina he had indians he had Cowboys he had the carols
he even brought Arabian horse money into the show to show
the skills of horsemanship that were involved it being a
Roughrider of the world well over the years people been very upset about
Buffalo Bills burial here in Lookout Mountain I he had a ready founded the
town of Cody Wyoming people in Cody felt that he should have been buried up there
so there's a story that I heard that a group of Calgary started drinking in 10
bars in Cody Wyoming
and patch this quiet that they would come down and steal Buffalo Bills body
from Lookout Mountain
the story is however that they continue the drinking
all the way stopping a places like me TT
for marvelous in other places along the way they got about as far as Casper
and at that point I think I've had a little too much alcohol and
never did make it across the state line I think his choice of Lookout Mountain
was appropriate for several reasons
whatever means up here we get a great view
not only have the great plains to the east but also the Rocky Mountains in the
Continental Divide to the west
so it's just wonderful promontory showing both places where he spent his
life
secondly Denver at the time the Buffalo Bills death
was over a hundred twenty-five thousand population it was a major
place to access by the trains so that people could come
to see his grave much more readily here than they could have for example Cody
Wyoming
buffalo bill was part love America forging its identity in many ways
he personified that rugged independence you've been out there in the West seek
went through all these experiences in the great American while West
which helped forge identity which helped for just as the nation's there's been a
lot of the impact from him
and there's been a lot what he did that is impact the way we live today