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Buffalo Bill’s North Platte — North Platte, Nebraska

Buffalo Bill’s North Platte — North Platte, Nebraska

Buffalo Bill’s North Platte

Before he was the most famous showman in the world, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody was a North Platte rancher. He was born near Le Claire, Iowa, on February 26, 1846, rode for the Pony Express as a teenager, and earned his nickname hunting buffalo to feed railroad crews. In the 1870s he settled his family on the Platte River in Lincoln County, and for more than thirty years he called North Platte home between tours.

Coming to North Platte

In 1877 Cody went into the cattle business with Major Frank North, and in 1878 he bought his first 160 acres at North Platte for $750. His wife, Louisa, and their daughters moved to North Platte in February 1878. The Cody-North partnership ended in 1882, when John Bratt bought out the cattle operation, but Cody kept buying land until the ranch grew to several thousand acres of corn, alfalfa and pasture.

Cody’s ties to the area went back further. He worked as a civilian scout for the Army on the Nebraska plains, and in 1872 he received the Medal of Honor for action on the Platte River. The Army revoked it in 1917 under new rules for civilians and restored it in 1989. That same year, 1872, friends nominated him for the Nebraska Legislature. He appeared to win by about 44 votes, but the seat went to his opponent once late returns were counted.

The Old Glory Blowout, July 4, 1882

When North Platte asked Cody to plan its Fourth of July celebration in 1882, he staged the “Old Glory Blowout.” It had a parade through town and an exhibition of roping, bronc riding and buffalo riding at the grounds that are now Cody Park. It is often called the first organized rodeo. The crowds convinced Cody that the West itself could be a show, and in 1883 he launched Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, which toured the United States and Europe for about thirty years. A bronze plaque on the Lincoln County Courthouse marks the parade route. The tradition lives on every June in NEBRASKAland Days and the Buffalo Bill Rodeo.

Scout’s Rest Ranch

In 1886 Cody built a two-story, nine-room house on the ranch in the Second Empire style. He left the planning to his sister Julia Goodman and asked that it be finished within six months, with porches ten feet wide. The house cost $3,900 to build, about $6,000 furnished, and it was the largest house in North Platte at the time. Around then he began calling the place Scout’s Rest Ranch. A year later, in 1887, he built the big barn for his horses and had “Scout’s Rest Ranch” painted across its roof in large letters, where it can still be read today. A rear addition was put on the house in 1909.

Cody sold the ranch in 1911 for $100,000. He died in Denver on January 10, 1917, and is buried on Lookout Mountain near Golden, Colorado.

The ranch today

Nebraska Game and Parks bought the house in 1964 with help from the Lincoln County Historical Society, which raised $37,500 toward the purchase. It opened as Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park at 2921 Scouts Rest Ranch Road. The ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and named a National Historic Landmark on January 13, 2021.

The grounds are open year round from 8 a.m. to sunset. The mansion is open for self-guided tours from May 1 to October 31, Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The barn holds Cody memorabilia and ranch-life exhibits. A park entry permit is required, and mansion admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children 3 to 12.

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