You may recall that about a month ago, I wrote about the original building at the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, which is currently standing empty in anticipation of a master plan and major remodel. The museum suggested a tour of the century-old building for GoldenToday readers. I offered, a group of my readers accepted, and we enjoyed a very interesting tour a couple of weeks ago.
I hadn't planned it, but Buffalo Bill has turned out to be a recurring theme for me this summer. I didn't take any long trips this year, but I had several delightful short ones.
In mid-July, my friend Tracy and I visited the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs. I always stop and look at their photo of Buffalo Bill visiting the hotel. He had gone there in 1917, hoping to improve his failing health. Before he returned to Denver on the train, someone took the picture shown above. It's believed to be his last photograph, because he died the next day in Denver.
Then of course late July had Buffalo Bill Days. That's always popular in my family because for the past several years, Buffalo Bill has borrowed my daughter's paint horse, Sonny, and Annie Oakley has borrowed my husband's mustang mare, Riley. It's fun to see family members in the parade.
In mid-August, my siblings and I decided to meet at the Iowa State Fair to recreate a photo taken many decades ago. While there, I read up on the history of the Fair and learned that Buffalo Bill gave one of his first touring Wild West shows there in 1883.
In early September I attended the Local Independent Online News conference in St. Louis. While there, I visited the history museum under the arch. One of the exhibits caught my attention with a photo of my hometown friend Bill, so I watched their movie about Buffalo Bill's role in creating the mythic west (which we still see in western movies).
Last weekend my book club celebrated our 350th book by reading the Devil in the White City and visiting Chicago. The book is about the 1893 World's Fair, which was held in Chicago, and a serial killer who took advantage of the hordes of people who came to see the fair. We learned that Buffalo Bill was rejected as a performer at the fair, as the planning committee thought he wasn't "cultural" enough. He rented land next to the fairgrounds, performed all summer, and absolutely cleaned up financially.
I have no immediate plans for future travels, but wherever I go, I fully expect to encounter Buffalo Bill there.
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