An icon of the American West, Buffalo Bill was born on this day 166 years ago. Amazingly, I came across Buffalo Bill not once, but twice, on my road trip through Wyoming.

Both encounters were by accident too, they were unplanned surprises that presented themselves while on my way to the first National Park in the world – Yellowstone.

 

Buffalo Bill Historical Centre

After 20 hours of travel, including a 9 hour drive, my late night arrival in Cody, Wyoming had me wanting to get a good night’s sleep. My rustic cabin was the perfect place to re-energize for the start of my road trip…next stop Yellowstone National Park!

 

But wait, as I’m driving through the Wild West-esque downtown of Cody, I pass a Rodeo, then I see a stream of people heading towards some new, modern looking building. What could it be?

Turns out it was the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre.

Unable to resist, I stop and wander around the outdoor grounds of the centre, before wandering in to get some Buffalo Bill education.

 

 

What a cool place. The American West was on display here, not just the story of Buffalo Bill, but Indian art and artefacts, as well as old firearms. It wasn’t until I pieced together Buffalo Bill’s real name, William Cody, that it sunk in as to why his name was plastered all over the town.

Learning about how he got his nickname by killing more than 4000 Buffalo (Bison) was one of those bitter-sweet moments. An impressive feat for sure, but a reminder of the unsustainable practices that almost led to the demise of the American Bison population. To his credit, Buffalo Bill wasn’t killing them just for fun, it was his job, as the meat was an important source of protein for railway workers back then.

 

As a Canadian I really never knew much about Buffalo Bill. I knew the name, I knew that he fought American Indians while in the Army and that he brought stage shows to Europe later on in life. He was a famous figure, but I never knew his whole story, so visiting the Historical Centre was a real treat as it gave me an extra appreciation of what life was really like back in the late 1800’s.

Oddly, what impressed me most was the statues outside of the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre, maybe because in the natural surroundings it helped me visualize the American West as it once was.

I got back on the road after exploring the Centre for an hour or so…thinking I would leave Buffalo Bill behind as I headed to Yellowstone. But I was wrong!

 

Buffalo Bill Dam

I hadn’t been driving long and was just getting into the winding mountain scenery when I came across another unexpected attraction – a big dam.

With thundering water flowing over the edge of the controlled damn, bordered by steep cliffs on each side, I was anxious to check it out and get some photos.

 

 

Originally called Shoshone Dam, the Buffalo Bill Dam was completed in 1910 – such a feat was an impressive one at the time. Back then, it was one of the highest dams in the world!

After that double-dose of Buffalo Bill I felt that I had been approved, or at least deemed worthy, of exploring the American West. I was finally free to venture onto Yellowstone National Park and see some of the Bison that were lucky enough to never cross paths with Buffalo Bill.