William Frederick Cody (February
26, 1846 to January 10, 1917) was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory
(now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in his father's
hometown in modern-day Mississauga, Ontario, before the family returned
to the Midwest and settled in the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill started
working at the age of 11, after his father's death, and became a rider
for the Pony Express at age 15. During the American Civil War, he served
the Union from 1863 to the end of the war in 1865. Later he served as
a civilian scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars. While he was
initially awarded the Medal of Honor in 1872 for his actions in the Indian
Wars, he was among 911 recipients to have the award rescinded in 1917.
Congress reinstated the medals for Cody and four other civilian scouts
in 1989.
He was better known as Buffalo Bill, an American soldier, bison
hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old
West, Cody started his legend at the young age of 23. Shortly thereafter
he started performing in shows that displayed cowboy themes and episodes
from the frontier and Indian Wars. He founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West
in 1883, taking his large company on tours in the United States and, beginning
in 1887, in Europe.
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