Buffalo Bill memorabilia back home at museum in North Platte
March 15, 2014 | In the PressFrom Omaha.com (http://www.omaha.com/article/20140315/NEWS/140319016/1707)
Personal items that belonged to one of the world's greatest showmen have finally returned home to North Platte.
The Lincoln County Historical Museum on Thursday welcomed back memorabilia once owned by William “Buffalo Bill” Cody.
The items were purchased at auction in January. They were part of the largest collection of Buffalo Bill's personal family photographs ever sold.
“We had some donors come forward, which allowed us to purchase over $10,000 worth of stuff,” museum curator Jim Griffin said. “We were able to get all the photographs of North Platte back. There was one that was a duplicate of another we had already bought. We passed it up because we wanted to make sure we had enough money to buy the rest.”
The North Platte photographs featured both of Cody's “welcome wigwams” — the first burned down — his ranch house, his carriage house, his daughter Irma Cody and Bailey Yard.
The last program created for the Wild West Show, a wall mirror, a lithograph signed by Cody and Wheelock china also were purchased.
“The china used to be cheap in 1900 and could be bought as a souvenir,” Griffin said. “We wanted to replace some that had been destroyed at Scout's Rest Ranch by vandals.
“We got two plates and a match holder. They have screen prints on them of one of the wigwams and the ranch.”
Most of the items will be housed in Cody's former mansion, Scout's Rest Ranch. The museum will keep a few things such as a photograph of Cody and his sister, Julia Goodman; a portrait of Cody; and old postcards of North Platte.
