Episode #240 - Who Invented the Wild West? (Part I)

Buffalo Bill Cody was one of America's great mythmakers. The man born William Cody reinvented himself as the west's greatest rider, scout, and buffalo hunter before taking his schtick to the American stage in the early 1870's. Buffalo Bill would eventually develop his frontiersman act into the Wild West Show, an outdoor exposition that was part circus, part rodeo, and part historical reenactment. Between 1883 and 1913 the show was seen by millions. "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" helped reinforce popular legends about the American West and essentially invented the "western" entertainment genre. The man behind the show was a liar and hum-bug artist in the vein of P.T Barnum. How did Bill's mythical version of the west affect popular understandings of history? Tune-in and find out how 19th century social media influencers, fake duels, and Buffalo Bill's Buffalo Blob all play a roll in story.

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