Several times, Elder Black and I saw the roadside sign not far from Idaho Springs, advertising the Museum and Grave of Buffalo Bill. One day, after an appointment, we decided to make the ten minute detour and see what it was all about. Yessirrreee! It really was a nice museum, beautiful mountain overlooks, and the final resting spot of William F. Cody, know as Buffalo Bill.
He grew up on the plains, joined the army, and was a decorated soldier. Finally, Cody took up the trade that gave him his nickname, hunting buffalo to feed the construction crews of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. By his own count, he killed 4,280 head of buffalo in seventeen months. He is supposed to have won the name "Buffalo Bill" in an eight-hour shooting match with a hunter named William Comstock, presumably to determine which of the two Buffalo Bill’s deserved the title. This would horrify Colorado citizens today.
Later, Buffalo Bill became a showman and organized Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show featuring real Indians, cowboys, buffalo, and other strange assortments of interesting characters.
Cody died on January 10, 1917, and is buried in a tomb blasted from solid rock at the summit of Lookout Mountain near Denver, Colorado and our own Idaho Springs. We are glad we took the bait and followed the sign to this beautiful Colorado lookout and Buffalo Bill’s final resting place. If there are buffalos in heaven, they better be on the lookout. . . (That is, if Cody makes it to heaven.)
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| The actual tomb. |
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| Marker indicating his valor in Indian Warfare. This too would be frowned upon in Colorado today. |
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From this lookout, you can see Denver. Notice the skyscrappers near the horizon.    Grandma Oakely  Elder and Sister Black |
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