Bufflalo Bill’s Wild West

He was the most famous American in the world ? a showman and spin artist who parlayed a buffalo-hunting gig into an entertainment empire. William F. Cody’s stage show presented a new creation myth for America, bringing cowboys, Indians, settlers, and sharpshooters to audiences who had only read about the West in dime novels. He offered Indians a life off the reservation ? reenacting their own defeats. Deadwood producer David Milch explains why the myth of the West still resonates; a Sioux actor at a Paris theme park loves playing Sitting Bull; and a financial executive impersonates Buffalo Bill, with his wife as Annie Oakley.

“Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” was produced by Studio 360’s Eric Molinsky and edited by Leital Molad. Colorado Public Radio’s Megan Verlee reported the story on Modern Cowboys.