Via Chief Joseph Highway #296 with incredible views to mountains and canyons we leave Yellowstone National Park via two passes down into the prairie. Buffalo Bill, THE American western hero, founded the town of Cody. William Cody, thats his real name, had to start working as eleven year old child without father: as mounted courier, trapper and gold panner. Later on he distinguished himself as exceptional rider working for the legendary Pony Express Service that transported letters in ten days the 3200 km / 2000 miles from Missouri to California. After the civil war Cody worked as scout for the army and temporarily supplied 1000 railway workers with tons of fresh buffalo meat daily. From these days hes got his nickname. Writers were impressed by his shooting skills and wrote articles and even a stage play about him. He acted in the next play and scored a big success. He built up his own Wild West show with overwhelming response in the United States. Eventually he shipped hundreds of extras, horses, cattle and buffalo to Europe and introduced the amazed audience to the life of the New World. When cinema was invented his lavish shows started to show a loss and in 1913 he went bankrupt. But Buffalo bill continued working on the myth of the living legend in circuses and shows until he died 1917 with 70 years of age.
There are five museums in Cody where you can learn about the life of the legend, the prairie Indians, arts and history of the West. A two-day pass for all exhibits costs 15 $.