William Frederick Cody better known as Buffalo Bill is one of the most famous names among Wild West Legends his reputation doesn't come from being a famous gunman a legendary sheriff or an outlaw His True Legacy was to have managed to solidify these mythical figures of the American Wild West in the imagination of a Nation William was born in 1846 in the territory of Iowa son of a Canadian Merchant and an American teacher when Bill was still a child his parents took part in the Abolitionist Movement the United States was going through a delicate political moment and a Civil War was about to erupt at the center of this conflict was the issue of slavery while making a pro- abolition speech Isaac Cody the father of little William was stabbed Isaac would die sometime later for medical problems resulting from the attack at the age of 11 Bill became responsible for supporting his family he got a job as a helper messenger at Pony Express this company traveled through hostile territories to deliver express mail in the form of messages and packages Bill tried to join the Army at the age of 14 but was turned down because he was too young still the persistent William got a job as a civilian servant as a scout for the Union Army armed with his 50 caliber Springfield rifle which he would name lucre boura Bill became a legendary Buffalo Hunter William would become become known for his accuracy and the large number of animals slaughtered to feed the Union Army due to his Fame as a buffalo Hunter he became known as Buffalo Bill in just 8 months he killed over 4,000 Buffalo to feed the Kansas Pacific railroad workers but there was another Buffalo Hunter named William who claimed to be the real Buffalo Bill to settle the dispute for the title William Cody and William comto competed to find out who killed the most Buffalo Cody killed 68 bison in only 8 hours of competition one every 7 Minutes his rival killed 48 and William Buffalo Bill Cody won his epithet as a civilian servant of the Union Army William spotted an Indian ready to Ambush members of the third Cavalry Regiment with a precise longdistance shot he eliminated the threat and saved the lives of his companions Buffalo Bill would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of Bravery from from 1868 to 1972 already as a soldier William Cody fought in the Indian Wars and participated in retaliation against the Indians in response to the massacre of kuster's troops during the battle of the Little Big Horn William Cody was famous in the American West but his Destiny was stardom in 1869 Ned buland wrote about the adventures of Buffalo Bill the king of bordermen the author talked about Bill's greatest accomplishments EX exaggerating or even inventing most of them in 1872 Ned invited Bill to perform in a play that would reconstitute the stories of the Wild West William would play himself although he had never performed before and his first performances were particularly amateurish Buffalo Bill had a magnetic presence on stage Bill performed for 10 years in this wild west show where his main role was to reconstitute the battle in which he scalped the Cheyenne Indian warrior Yello hair William Cody realized the commercial potential of this kind of show and decided to invest in a new Venture in 1883 he created Buffalo Bill's Wild West show his great outdoor show had the participation of hundreds of artists Buffalo Bill's cast traveled all over the country with his show presenting battles between Cowboys and Indians reconstitutions of grand Stage Coach assaults and buffalo hunts adults and children were amazed to see live the stories they read in newspapers and magazines William Cody allowed the Indians to show their own culture to the country portraying them as great warriors and owners of a rich cultural tradition among these Indians was the legendary Sue Chief Sitting Bull Buffalo builds wild west shows crystallized into American imagery the Cowboys as Heroes of the borders but also reinforced the image of the role of Indians as as villains in these narratives after conquering America Buffalo Bill took his group on a tour of Europe where they had a show scheduled before Queen Victoria in the Jubilee of her Reign however a serious railroad accident was the beginning of the end of Buffalo Bill's great show incredibly the accident did not kill anyone but caused the loss of more than a 100 animals including Bill's two mounts the famous old pap and old Egle also one of the most famous stars of the show The well-known shooter Annie Oakley was seriously injured Bill's show would recover from the tragedy but several unsuccessful Investments by Bill bankrupted him and his show was sold at auction to pay off his debts Buffalo Bill died at the age of 70 his greatest Legacy was the consolidation of American mythology whose Heroes were Cowboys gunmen Indians and soldiers these men became true Legends of the West [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]