by Guest Historian Paul Haseman
William F. Cody had a warm place in his heart for Golden. Surely, as Buffalo Bill, he was world renowned and his Wild West Show made him the globe’s most famous person in his time. Yet with all that fame, he knew Golden well. As an Overland Stage driver in his teens, a regular stop was the Overland Hotel, now the Buffalo Rose. He was also a long term member of the Golden Masonic Lodge. Among his many visits to Golden, he led Russian Grand Duke Alexis and General Phil Sheridan on a tour of Golden in January 1872 (Transcript 1/24/1872). The Duke’s associates toured local coal mines, while the Duke and General Sheridan enjoyed above ground repasts.
Buffalo Bill’s association with Golden derived in part from his two sisters living in Denver. When he became ill in December 1916, he came to Denver from Cody, Wy, for treatment staying with his sister, Mary Cody Decker. His illness progressed and he passed on 10 January 1917. His will specified burial on Lookout Mountain and his sister accompanied by W.R. Mills, Manager of the Denver Mountain Parks System (DMPS), chose the exact location in May (Transcript 5/17/1917). As a side note, DMPS purchased the site from Golden local contractor, Bill (Cement Bill) Williams, who built Lookout Mountain Road. A small monument to Cement Bill is near the site. The Park System acreage was also augmented that May through a donation of additional land by Golden’s Adolph Coors.
In 2017, the Buffalo Bill Museum and Golden’s Masonic Lodge members recreated the ceremony of Buffalo Bill’s burial on Lookout Mountain – Enlarge
Buffalo Bill’s body remained in the funeral home several months awaiting warmer weather to permit digging in the long-frozen mountain ground. So, on 3 June 1917, the procession of largest funeral to date with 20,000 attendees traversed Lookout Mountain Road, led by Wyoming Governor, John Kendrick. The funeral service at the gravesite was officiated by George Parfet, Jr. then the Masonic Temple Grand Master. (Transcript 7/6/1917)
William Cody (Buffalo Bill), Pony Express rider, stage driver, military scout, Medal of Honor awardee, and foremost showman was a fond friend of Golden.
