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6 Incredible Performers in Buffalo Bill Codys Wild West Show
In 1883, William Buffalo Bill Cody began mesmerizing audiences across the United States, bringing the Wild West to their doorsteps. His variety show included sharpshooters, cowboys, bronc busters, Native Americans, reenactments, animals, and more. The show ran for over thirty years and played a huge role in the developing mythology of lawless frontier life. From Middle America to East Coast cities and even Europe, a troupe of intriguing performers brought adventure to life for thousands. Meet some of the characters that cemented the narrative of the untamed West in the American consciousness.1. Annie Oakley Had the Fastest Gun in the WestAnnie Oakley shooting in a Wild West Show performance in England in 1892. An unidentified Native American performer is in the foreground. Source: Denver Public Library/Wikimedia CommonsPhoebe Ann Moses had a difficult childhood, including the loss of her father at a young age. Annie, as she was known, began hunting at the age of eight and selling the game to local eateries to earn money for her family. She proved to be an excellent markswoman and, at the age of 15, competed against sharpshooter Frank Butler. She won the contest by one shot, impressing Butler immensely.The two courted and married the next year. Annie began traveling with her famous husband, assisting him in his shooting demonstrations and holding targets. One day, his shooting partner was ill and unable to perform. Annie stepped in and stole the show. She became part of the act, adopting her stage name, Oakley. She and Butler toured with the Sells Brothers Circus, after which they signed on to Buffalo Bills show.Annie in 1922. Source: Library of Congress/Wikimedia CommonsThe roles were eventually reversed, with Annie becoming the star of the show and her husband her assistant. She performed tricks such as shooting glass balls out of the air and sniping cigarettes from her husbands mouth. She headlined the Wild West Show for a time and stayed with the show for 16 years.Annie chose simple costumes so as not to detract from her skill, and proved to audiences everywhere that women were capable of handling firearms effectively. She encouraged women to learn firearm skills for their own protection and empowerment. After a train crash in 1901, Annie suffered a back injury and stopped performing for several years. She toured for two more years, from 1923 to 1925, before moving to Ohio to be close to family. Annie Oakley passed away in November 1926, followed by her husband only three weeks later. They had been married for 50 years.2. Sitting Bull Left His MarkAn authenticated photograph of Sitting Bulls autograph from his time in the Wild West Show. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe role of Indigenous peoples in Buffalo Bills Wild West Show is controversial. Some argue that their performances were exploitative, casting Native Americans in a negative light. Others contest that the shows gave Native people the opportunity to share their culture.Sitting Bull was one of the most famous participants in the Wild West Show. After years of fighting the US Army, including at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, fleeing to Canada to avoid confinement, and eventual surrender, Sitting Bull had been forced onto a reservation. With permission from the Indian Agent, in 1885, Sitting Bull joined the Wild West Show after a recruiter contacted him to negotiate an appearance. The Lakota leader made 50 dollars a week plus extra money from signing autographs. His appearance in the show was relatively limited, with a brief appearance in the opening procession.Sitting Bull, seated in center, and Buffalo Bill, standing in center, with other members of the Wild West Show troupe in Montreal in 1885. Source: McCord Museum/Wikimedia CommonsBuffalo Bill and Sitting Bull had a complicated friendship. Though they had never met on the battlefield, Cody had a history as a scout with the army when Sitting Bull was fighting to preserve his peoples way of life. However, they were known to be friendly to one another, with Cody calling Sitting Bull a wonderful old fighting man.Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill. Source: Library of CongressCody also appeared to have earned some respect from the Lakota leader, as in November of 1890, government officials ordered him to speak to Sitting Bull at the Standing Rock Agency. There was suspicion that Sitting Bull was involved in a new movement known as the Ghost Dance, which was viewed as a threat by US government officials. Cody was asked to speak to his friend and ask him to come in for a meeting. However, at the urging of an Indian Agent, the request was canceled, and Cody was asked to return home 50 miles from his destination. Less than a month later, Sitting Bull was dead from a botched arrest attempt.3. Black Elk Saw the WorldA quote attributed to Black Elk. Source: Chris Light/Wikimedia CommonsBlack Elk saw many of the events that shaped the future of the Lakota people. He was 13 years old when he witnessed the Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. His family joined Crazy Horse, fleeing the United States Army, and he spent time in Canada with Sitting Bull, where he became a healer and medicine man in his own right.Black Elk was recruited to the Wild West Show in 1886. He later recalled that he joined the show in an effort to perhaps learn some secrets of the white men that he could use to help his people in their struggle against acclimation (Neihardt, 165). Black Elk performed for Queen Victoria in England in 1887 and was stranded after he got lost and missed his boat (Neihardt, 172). Fortunately, he was not alone but with a few other Lakota performers. To earn money to get home, they joined another performance troupe, traveling throughout England, France, and Germany. Black Elk contracted an illness and spent time recuperating with a French family. He was stranded in Europe for about a year in total. When Buffalo Bill returned to the continent, he asked Black Elk if he would prefer to rejoin the show or head home. When Black Elk asked to go home, Cody gave him a ticket home and 90 dollars. Black Elk stated that Pahuska [Cody] had a strong heart (Neihardt, 175).4. Giuseppina Morlacchi Was PeerlessMorlacchi and future husband Texas Jack Omohundro in the stage play The Scouts of the Prairie. Source: Buffalo Bill Center of the West/Wikimedia CommonsGiuseppina Josephine Morlacchi was one of the first women to join the Wild West Show. Performing with Cody and his partner, Texas Jack, in their first theater appearances, Morlacchi was the most sought-after performer in the country at the time. She introduced the can-can to American audiences and was said to leave audiences breathless.A classically trained ballerina, Morlacchi grew up in Milan before making her American debut in 1867. She performed in the Wild West Show as a dancer and actress, often reprising her role as Dove Eye, a Native American princess, from the first show she appeared in with Cody and Texas Jack. She and Jack eventually married.Known as The Peerless, Morlacchi used her fame to fight for the rights of lesser-billed cast members in the companies she performed in, particularly younger, naive dancers as she herself had once been. After her husbands death, Morlacchi ended her performance career, retiring to a farm in Massachusetts, which she purchased with her savings. She died from cancer at age 49.5. Ferris Satisfied Musical Entertainers Broke New GroundFerris band members are seen in the back-right of this photo taken of the Wild West Show cast. Source: McCracken Research LibraryIn 1910, the Wild West Show included a 14-piece ragtime orchestra with various instruments and a vocal quartet. This all-Black ensemble, Ferris Satisfied Musical Entertainers, played a variety of music, including early blues tunes in addition to their ragtime songs. Though the show itself wasnt segregated, musical acts were at that time. Band members participated in minstrel-type performances, too, even darkening their skin and performing stereotypically-Black caricatures. In addition to acting as a sideshow to the main performance, the band provided a 45-minute concert after the show as attendees exited. They were one of the few acts at the time that did this, and reviewers noticed. The group was paid significantly less than white performers and stayed with the Wild West Show for only two seasons.6. Texas Jack, Dime Novel HeroJohn B. Texas Jack Omohundro photographed in 1874. Source: Texas Jack Association/Wikimedia CommonsBuffalo Bills lesser-known counterpart, Texas Jack, wasnt from Texas at all but Virginia. John Burwell Omohundro was a dynamic adventurer who spent time as a soldier, scout, cowboy, and actor. He earned his nickname after three years of cowboy work in Texas. With Cody, he starred in dime novelist Ned Buntlines performance The Scouts of the Prairie. Following this success, the two started their own variety show, which became known as the Wild West Show. Jack was known to be a skilled actor and a steady man, with some stating that it was his influence that kept the show together during its early seasons. In addition to his presence in the Wild West Show, Texas Jack was the star of numerous dime novels during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tragically, he passed away at only 33 years of age, when a cold quickly developed into pneumonia and then consumption (tuberculosis).Recommended Reading:Neihardt, J.G. (1932). Black Elk Speaks. University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln.
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