Buffalo Bill

by Wetmore, Helen Cody; Grey, Zane; Remington, Frederic; Deming, Edwin Willard; Bonheur, Rosa

• ISBN13: 9780803298347
• ISBN10: 080329834X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-04-01
• Publisher: Bison Books

Summary

Buffalo Bill: Last of the Great Scouts is the entertaining and fascinating story of William F. Cody, known to millions for over a century as the legendary Buffalo Bill. He was active on the frontier for about a dozen years (1860-1872) and was an actor and showman in his world-touring "Wild West Show" for more than three decades afterward. Bill's sister, Helen Cody Wetmore, has written a forthright and affectionate biography that recalls fully both the man and the legend, his colourful personality and great ironic wit, as well as his celebrated international status. Engaging anecdotes from Buffalo Bill's early years are coupled with wonderful sidelights from his adult life, for example, his experiences as a Union Army spy, a land speculator, a hotelkeeper, and a justice of the peace. These pages also contain memorable glimpses of Buffalo Bill as a host to visiting potentates. Hilarious and informative, Buffalo Bill: Last of the Great Scouts introduces us to an unforgettable and controversial figure in American frontier history. This commemorative edition includes the full text of the original 1899 edition, a foreword and afterword by novelist Zane Grey, illustrations by Frederic Remington and E. W. Deming from a rare 1903 edition, and an introduction by scholar Joy S. Kasson. Helen Cody Wetmore was one of five sisters of Buffalo Bill and her book, Buffalo Bill: Last of the Great Scouts, was often sold at Buffalo Bill's Wild West shows. Joy S. Kasson is Chair of the American Studies Department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is the author of Buffalo Bill's Wild West: Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History.

Author Biography

Helen Cody Wetmore was one of five sisters of Buffalo Bill and her book Buffalo Bill was often sold at Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows. Joy S. Kasson is chair of the American Studies Department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is the author of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West: Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Introduction	xi
Foreword	xix
Genealogy of Buffalo Bill	xxi
Preface	xxiii
The Old Homestead in Iowa	1	(7)
Will's First Indian	8	(6)
The Shadow of Partisan Strife	14	(4)
Persecution Continues	18	(7)
The ``Boy Extra,''	25	(7)
Family Defender and Household Tease	32	(7)
Indian Encounter and School-Day Incidents	39	(9)
Death and Burial of Turk	48	(8)
Will as Pony Express Rider	56	(5)
Echoes from Sumter	61	(7)
A Short but Dashing Indian Campaign	68	(6)
The Mother's Last Illness	74	(10)
In the Secret Service	84	(8)
A Rescue and a Betrothal	92	(8)
Will as a Benedict	100	(11)
How the Sobriquet of ``Buffalo Bill'' Was Won	111	(6)
Satanta, Chief of the Kiowas	117	(6)
Will Made Chief of Scouts	123	(6)
Army Life at Fort McPherson	129	(8)
Pa-has-ka, the Long-Haired Chief	137	(7)
The Hunt of the Grand Duke Alexis	144	(6)
Theatrical Experiences	150	(8)
The Government's Indian Policy	158	(7)
Literary Work	165	(8)
First Visit to the Valley of the Big Horn	173	(6)
Tour of Great Britain	179	(9)
Return of the ``Wild West'' to America	188	(7)
A Tribute to General Miles	195	(4)
The ``Wild West'' at the World's Fair	199	(8)
Cody Day at the Omaha Exposition	207	(9)
The Last of the Great Scouts	216	(5)
Zane Grey Adds the Finishing Touch to the Story by Telling of the Last Days of the Last of the Great Scouts	221