Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show Dakota Datebook

May 19, 2022 — On this day in 1883, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show held its first public performance in Omaha, Nebraska. For the next three decades, the massive outdoor show traveled across the United States, Great Britain and Europe staging reenactments of life on the American West such as the Bison Hunt, the Train Robbery and the Attack on the Burning Cabin.

Of course no showcase of the West would be complete without the addition of some of North Dakota’s most famous and talented residents.

Sitting Bull traveled with the Wild West show for a short time in 1885, earning $50 a week for riding once around the arena, in addition to whatever he could charge for his autograph and picture.

Scott Byron Gore, a rancher near Grassy Butte became a nationally recognized saddle bronc rider, having ridden in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Europe. George Gardner of Medora, another bronc rider and trick and fancy rope performer, along with his friend and fellow North Dakotan “Badlands Bill” McCarty, also traveled with the Wild West Show.

The two most nationally recognized former residents of northern Dakota Territory did not appear personally in the show, but their portrayal played a starring role in the performances. The Battle of Little Big Horn was an obvious event for a Wild West reenactment and by 1888, Custer’s Last Stand had become a regular feature. The character of Theodore Roosevelt was added to the show following the SpanishAmerican War. By 1899, the Battle of San Juan Hill had replaced “Custer’s Last Stand” as the grand finale.

For many of the North Dakotans who participated or were portrayed in the show, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West performances opened new doors and opportunities. While on tour with the show, Sitting Bull shook hands with President Grover Cleveland, which he took as evidence that he was still regarded as a great chief.

George Gardner and “Badlands Bill” McCarty, after leaving the Wild West, started their own traveling rodeo show. General Custer’s widow, Elizabeth, who witnessed the Last Battle reenactment performed in 1888, wrote to Cody appreciatively, describing her emotional reaction to it as ‘terrible’ realism. As for Theodore Roosevelt, the show boosted his status as a hero, keeping his military exploits vividly before the public as he ran for the vice-presidency in 1900.

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