From - Tue May 15 01:57:58 2001 Return-Path: Received: from peakpeak.com (tz0032.peakpeak.com [207.174.69.32]) by gash2.peakpeak.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id BAA22570; Tue, 15 May 2001 01:47:49 -0600 Sender: snowbear@gash2.peakpeak.com Message-ID: <3B00DF8F.59EC1353@peakpeak.com> Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 01:49:35 -0600 From: Pam North X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.61 [en] (X11; U; Linux 2.2.12-20 i586) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: "Douglas, Laura" , "Green, Guerin" , "North, Pam" , Vyner Jeff Subject: Article Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Status: O X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-UIDL: 391deae700001300 THE LEGENDARY WILD WEST SHOW by Pam North "The myth of the West was first of all a myth of accomplishment shared by all Americans, hence a myth of unity." This quote by Paul Fees, curator at Buffalo Bill's Historical Society in Cody, Wyoming, illuminates the reason behind America's fervent embrace of all the legends of the West. William Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, was one of those legends. Present for every key moment in westward expansion, including the gold rush, the Pony Express, railroad construction, cattle herding, scouting, Indian fighting and buffalo hunting, Cody, in the course of all his exploits, made the transition from man to legend. The Buffalo Bill dime novels, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, publicized the frontiersman's adventures, and Cody's affinity for drama and the limelight motivated him to build on his reputation, transforming the literary character into apparent reality in 1882 as the central character in his brilliantly-conceived production called the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. It enacted the Western myth in a sweeping outdoor spectacle, designed to both educate and entertain, using a cast of hundreds, and incorporating a variety of animals such as horses, cattle, buffalo and elk. All of the stereotypes were represented, from the buffalo hunts and circular wagon train encampments to the cowboy-vs-Indians battles. Cody recruited real ranch workers into his show, glamorizing them to the point that by the end of the 19th century the word "cow-boy," previously a term used as an insult for coarse cattle drivers, became the popular "cowboy," with all the frontier mystique built in. Cody's shows demonstrated bronco riding, roping, and other skills that would later become part of public rodeos. Women were an integral part of the show. Cody was a champion of women's rights, an advocate of their right to vote and to receive equal pay. Women in the show received the same wages as men for comparable work. Interestingly, female performers in the Wild West Show often outrode and outgunned their male counterparts. The most famous of the feminine personalities in the production was undoubtedly Annie Oakley, nicknamed "Little Sure Shot" by Sitting Bull. Cody had a great affection for children, and saw to it that free tickets to his show were distributed to orphanages in the towns in which his show performed. The Wild West Show was a resounding success, traveling the roads from California to New York, firing the imagination of its audience, and leaving a lasting vision of the American West. The fact that the picture wasn't totally accurate was immaterial; the excitement of the immense show, with its exaggerated drama, entrenched the images of the West in the minds of all who saw it. It was easily the most successful tour de force of the late 1800s. In 1887, the Wild West Show was invited to perform in England at Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Celebration. The festivities were attended by commoners, nobility and the Queen herself, and the Wild West Show was credited with improving British/American relations. The show continued to rise in fame, returning two years later to tour the European continent. In 1912, Cody needed financial assistance for his show, and he went to Harry Tammen for a $20,000 loan. Four years earlier, Cody had combined his show with another, and the production was now titled Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Pawnee Bill's Far East. The show arrived in Denver in 1913 for a performance just when the loan was due, and in a surprise move, the show was seized by the sheriff and held for payment of the debt. Cody did not have sufficient cash to pay, and Tammen refused to extend the loan, so the show was sold at auction in Denver. Tammen then forced Cody to appear as Buffalo Bill in Tammen's Sells-Floto Circus, which had been his real objective from the start. In 1915 Cody was finally able to be released from his coerced agreement with Tammen, and he continued to appear with other shows for the next two years, until his death in 1917. Buffalo Bill, with his Wild West Show, did not merely represent the West, but actually became it in his own mind and in the minds of others. His portrayal of the West was a powerful force on the American imagination, and despite the flaws in that portrayal, it nevertheless had tremendous influence. The images and legends born in his show penetrate popular culture to this day. From - Mon Aug 20 10:36:44 2001 Return-Path: Received: from peakpeak.com (tz0032.peakpeak.com [207.174.69.32]) by gash2.peakpeak.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id BAA22570; Tue, 15 May 2001 01:47:49 -0600 Sender: snowbear@gash2.peakpeak.com Message-ID: <3B00DF8F.59EC1353@peakpeak.com> Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 01:49:35 -0600 From: Pam North X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.61 [en] (X11; U; Linux 2.2.12-20 i586) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: "Douglas, Laura" , "Green, Guerin" , "North, Pam" , Vyner Jeff Subject: Article Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Status: O X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-UIDL: 391deae700001300 THE LEGENDARY WILD WEST SHOW by Pam North "The myth of the West was first of all a myth of accomplishment shared by all Americans, hence a myth of unity." This quote by Paul Fees, curator at Buffalo Bill's Historical Society in Cody, Wyoming, illuminates the reason behind America's fervent embrace of all the legends of the West. William Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, was one of those legends. Present for every key moment in westward expansion, including the gold rush, the Pony Express, railroad construction, cattle herding, scouting, Indian fighting and buffalo hunting, Cody, in the course of all his exploits, made the transition from man to legend. The Buffalo Bill dime novels, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, publicized the frontiersman's adventures, and Cody's affinity for drama and the limelight motivated him to build on his reputation, transforming the literary character into apparent reality in 1882 as the central character in his brilliantly-conceived production called the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. It enacted the Western myth in a sweeping outdoor spectacle, designed to both educate and entertain, using a cast of hundreds, and incorporating a variety of animals such as horses, cattle, buffalo and elk. All of the stereotypes were represented, from the buffalo hunts and circular wagon train encampments to the cowboy-vs-Indians battles. Cody recruited real ranch workers into his show, glamorizing them to the point that by the end of the 19th century the word "cow-boy," previously a term used as an insult for coarse cattle drivers, became the popular "cowboy," with all the frontier mystique built in. Cody's shows demonstrated bronco riding, roping, and other skills that would later become part of public rodeos. Women were an integral part of the show. Cody was a champion of women's rights, an advocate of their right to vote and to receive equal pay. Women in the show received the same wages as men for comparable work. Interestingly, female performers in the Wild West Show often outrode and outgunned their male counterparts. The most famous of the feminine personalities in the production was undoubtedly Annie Oakley, nicknamed "Little Sure Shot" by Sitting Bull. Cody had a great affection for children, and saw to it that free tickets to his show were distributed to orphanages in the towns in which his show performed. The Wild West Show was a resounding success, traveling the roads from California to New York, firing the imagination of its audience, and leaving a lasting vision of the American West. The fact that the picture wasn't totally accurate was immaterial; the excitement of the immense show, with its exaggerated drama, entrenched the images of the West in the minds of all who saw it. It was easily the most successful tour de force of the late 1800s. In 1887, the Wild West Show was invited to perform in England at Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Celebration. The festivities were attended by commoners, nobility and the Queen herself, and the Wild West Show was credited with improving British/American relations. The show continued to rise in fame, returning two years later to tour the European continent. In 1912, Cody needed financial assistance for his show, and he went to Harry Tammen for a $20,000 loan. Four years earlier, Cody had combined his show with another, and the production was now titled Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Pawnee Bill's Far East. The show arrived in Denver in 1913 for a performance just when the loan was due, and in a surprise move, the show was seized by the sheriff and held for payment of the debt. Cody did not have sufficient cash to pay, and Tammen refused to extend the loan, so the show was sold at auction in Denver. Tammen then forced Cody to appear as Buffalo Bill in Tammen's Sells-Floto Circus, which had been his real objective from the start. In 1915 Cody was finally able to be released from his coerced agreement with Tammen, and he continued to appear with other shows for the next two years, until his death in 1917. Buffalo Bill, with his Wild West Show, did not merely represent the West, but actually became it in his own mind and in the minds of others. His portrayal of the West was a powerful force on the American imagination, and despite the flaws in that portrayal, it nevertheless had tremendous influence. The images and legends born in his show penetrate popular culture to this day.