Wild West Shows

Wild West shows were the amusement parks of our time. They were full of fun and entertainment. These shows were also responsible for the images of the “Wild West” we think of today. In the book, True Grit, Mattie hears that Rooster Cogburn is in a Wild West show. She goes to see the Cole Younger and Frank James Wild West show and finds out that Rooster is dead. Wild West shows were what shaped our idea of the “Wild West,” our ideas of fun, and the name “cowboy.” Wild West Shows were a form of entertainment

famous entertainment shows was Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The show often stared people like Sitting Bull and Annie Oakley. It was a big hit in the united states and even around the world. The show showed people, who would never get to see the “Wild West” what it’s like. The show tended to be an exaggeration of what life was really like in the west. The show all started with a man who went by the name of Buffalo Bill his real name was William Frederick Cody. Cody was born just west of the Mississippi

Western Identity The Wild West, in American history, is often thought of as being an ideology filled with adventure and happy endings. This picture of the Wild West is largely in place due to the romanticizing of the West by Hollywood. Movies portraying the West are filled with stereotypes, whether they are purposeful or not, that do not accurately show what defines the Western persona. Stereotypical situations such as Indians being depicted as savages and noble sheriffs saving the day leave

Buffalo Bill One of the most colorful figures of the Old West became the best known spokesman for the New West. He was born William Frederick Cody in Iowa in 1846. At 22, in Kansas, he was rechristened "Buffalo Bill". He had been a trapper, a bullwhacker, a Colorado "Fifty-Niner", Pony Express rider (1860), wagonmaster, stagecoach driver, Civil War soldier, and even hotel manager. He earned his nickname for his skill while supplying Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. He was

Bill “taught” the history of the West to a curious nation, Disneyland embarked on a strikingly similar course. Relying on creative marketing, star appeal, the American fascination with all things western, and, most important, an exceedingly glib portrayal of history, Disneyland in a strange way completed the story that Buffalo Bill started in 1883. Although the eras, to be sure, were decidedly different, history was delivered in exactly the same way. The west is an idea that has always fascinated

Cody’s Wild West shows weren’t just used to preserve the buffalo species; they were used to depict his actions as an Indian fighter. “Buffalo Bill was a plainsman, but the place he might have held on the picture plane of the West was severely compromised and ultimately lost to the theatrical pretentions of the Wild West Show” (Momaday 638). For Cody, these shows were just a transformation into an imitation of himself. “The great fascination

Buffalo Bill      William Frederick Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill, was born into an anti-slavery family. He had a rough childhood, but despite this hardship he grew up to be an adventurous wild west showman, and achieve many historical goals.      On February 26, 1846, near the small town of LeClair, Iowa, William F. Cody was born to Isacc and Marry Ann Cody. At the time William had two sisters, Martha and Julia, and a brother, Samuel. But he

William Buffalo Bill Cody Buffalo Bill was one of the most interesting figures of the old west, and the best known spokesman of the new west. Buffalo Bill was born in 1846 and his real name was William Frederick Cody. Cody was many things. He was a trapper, bullwhacker, Colorado 'Fifty-Niner';, Pony Express rider, Civil War soldier, wagonmaster, stagecoach driver, and even a manager of a hotel. He changed his name to Buffalo Bill sometime in his early twenties for his skill while supplying railroad

story of “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West: Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History” shows how a man can start with nothing and grow to be a publicly recognized figure. The author of this story, Joy S. Kasson, recounts Buffalo Bill’s life and the decisions he made along the way along with how the actions he took affected the events around him. This story, that takes a biographic approach, tells of Buffalo Bill’s influence in society as a showman and in the perceived image of the wild west during this time. What

The adverting for the show was extremely elaborate. Buffalo Bill had outstanding public relations group that began advertising the show in innovative ways. As early as 1884 color lithographs were used for posters to advertise the show. “And by 1893, Burke and his team were producing a booklets sixty-four pages long, crammed with articles on virtually every aspect of the show.” If he had not had marketing skills of a few brilliant men that were ahead of their time the show would have received the