Buffalo Bill - The Scout (statue) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Buffalo Bill - The Scout
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Location | 720 Sheridan Ave., Cody, Wyoming |
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| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002319 |
| Added to NRHP | December 31, 1974 |
The Buffalo Bill - The Scout statue is a large bronze sculpture. It shows a rider on horseback. You can find it outside the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. This statue was put in place in 1924. It honors Buffalo Bill Cody, who was very important to the town. He was almost like its founder.
When it was first placed, the statue was on open land. This was on the edge of Cody. As the town grew, Sheridan Avenue became the main street. Now, the statue stands at the end of this busy road.
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Meet Buffalo Bill's Statue
The idea for this statue came from Mary Jester Allen. She was Buffalo Bill Cody's niece. Mary also helped start what is now the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. She lived in New York City. She convinced a famous artist named Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to create the sculpture. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was also a wealthy heiress.
Bringing the Statue to Life
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney chose the perfect spot for the statue in Cody. She even bought the land herself. Her first ideas for the statue were not quite right. People thought the horse looked too "eastern." They meant it didn't look like a real Western horse.
A Special Horse for the Statue
To fix this, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney got a special horse. Its name was "Smokey." Smokey came from Buffalo Bill's TE Ranch in Cody. She had Smokey shipped all the way to New York. A cowboy from Cody also went along. He posed in the saddle for the artist. This helped Gertrude make the statue look truly Western.
Where the Statue Stands Today
The statue was officially dedicated on July 4, 1924. Many important people came to the ceremony. This was unusual for such a faraway place. The statue stands on a large stone base. This base is meant to look like nearby Cedar Mountain. Buffalo Bill Cody had wanted to be buried on Cedar Mountain. However, he was buried somewhere else. He was laid to rest at Lookout Mountain in Colorado. This makes the statue's base a bit ironic. Over time, Sheridan Avenue was extended. It now loops around the statue's site. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is very close by.
A Gift from an Artist
Creating the statue was expensive. It cost about $50,000. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney paid most of this money herself. She later started a very famous art museum. It is called the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her son, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, also helped the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. He funded the Whitney Museum of Western Art there.
The full name of the statue is Buffalo Bill - The Scout. In 1974, the statue was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical site.
