William F. Cody's Wyoming Empire: The Buffalo Bill Nobody Knows (Hardcover)

~ Robert E. Bonner (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This thoughtfully detailed account of Cody the capitalist in the Big Horn Basin gives the legend the depth this fascinating American deserves." --Cowboys & Indians

Product Description

Celebrated showman of the Old West, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody took on another role unknown to most Americans, that of the western land developer and town promoter. In this captivating study, Robert E. Bonner demonstrates that the skills Cody acquired from decades in show business failed to prepare him for the demanding arena of business and finance. Laced with engaging anecdotes and featuring more than twenty photographs, William F. Cody's Wyoming Empire is a much needed look at an overly mythologized character. There was more to William F. Cody than the Wild West show--and we cannot construct a full picture of the man without understanding his entrepreneurial activities in Wyoming.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 318 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (October 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806138297
• ISBN-13: 978-0806138299
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,051,893 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buffalo Bill, The First Celebrity Developer, January 25, 2008

By	Charles Quimby "Across the Great Divide" (Colorado/Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Buffalo Bill Cody was America's first celebrity and probably the best advertised name in the world at the time his Wild West Show took to feeding Americans a comforting myth about its conquest of the west. He was a double impostor who aspired to turn his iconic image as an heroic frontiersman into status as a capitalist of consequence.

The book deals with Cody's concerted but ineffectual quest to develop his own corner of Wyoming. Although he was a big name and tireless promoter, his enterprises were doomed by his lack of real business skill or follow-through, exacerbated by his rock star travel schedule and his choice of the arid Big Horn Basin as the place he would will his empire into being.

Cody was not a con artist so much as a show business artist, with emphasis on the show, not the business. Though his show made him rich enough to put him with East Coast aristocrats, Cody sought to earn their company on a higher footing. In this respect, he prefigured today's calculating and self-inflating celebrities, particularly Schwarzenegger the body builder and Trump the bankrupt developer.

In later years, Cody's influence grew weaker as the government bureaus he sought to exploit moved from political patronage to professional management, and real businessmen backed by serious capital came in with the railroads.

Bonner is a fine writer, but his subject is probably too narrow for readers without a stake in the west or an interest in western history. He purposely avoids the well-documented Wild West side of Cody to tell a less celebrated tale of attempts to settle public lands, and in particular, the importance of bringing water into the region.

Cody's story ends with corporate interests and eastern capital opening much of the west and sweeping aside, if need be, the rugged individualists who are enshrined in western mythology -- whether they were dry dirt farmers or the most famous man in the world.

5.0 out of 5 stars For Cody (Wyoming) lovers, June 10, 2009

By	T. Randall (Redondo Beach, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Very thorough historical account of Buffalo Bill Cody's involvement in the founding and growth of Cody, Wyoming. It made me want to go there immediately to hunt down the places that were mentioned. It could probably have been reduced by half as it tends to be redundant, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and came to appreciate the people who weren't afraid to take risks by moving to places that weren't the most hospitable and turning them into towns and homes. It gives a good sense of the westward movement and how challenging it was. The many other people, like Beck, who worked with Cody (and who were in fact more directly responsible for the actual building of the town) are given their due. All in all, a worthwhile read. If you go to Cody, don't forget to visit the Irma Hotel (named after one of Bill's daughters) and, of course, the amazing museum, whose library was a valuable resource for the author when writing this book.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing, different portrait, November 3, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Old West showman William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody was more than just a notorious outlaw: he was a land developer, town promoter, and showman. WILLIAM F. CODY'S WYOMING EMPIRE: THE BUFFALO BILL NOBODY KNOWS is a blend of history and biography especially suitable for college-level American history collections focusing on frontier times: it surveys his life, offers over twenty photos, and considers the reality behind the character. An engrossing, different portrait stands out from the crowd of books on Cody's life and career.