Title: Letter from William F. Cody to George T. Beck
Date: August 11, 1896
Author: Cody, William Frederick, 1846-1917
More metadata
Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders. Col. W. F. Cody. (Buffalo Bill), President. Nate Salsbury. Vice-President & Manager.
of the World.
[photograph]
[photograph]
John M. Burke. General Manager.
Albert E. Sheible, Business Manager.
Jule Keen, Treasurer.
Muskegon— Mich
[1]
Aug. 11th / 96
What about a name for the Town. [2] That you are going to have for the County Seat? I hear you have made a trip through the county whats the prospects for the seat? I have been urgeing Bleiystein Salsbury. Rumsey on the bond business they meet in New York tomorrow. I signed the Bonds & sent to Alger & your signature I hope you hurried them through—
Say George did you get my letter about giving Trego [3] a contract— the work will have to be done as soon as the co gets funds. And as I am willing to wait for my pay until co does get funds— and as its very important that water should be down to the Town as soon as possible. I thought you would like Trego to do all the work he could—
Let me hear from you—
Your friend
Cody
PS. I have never heard the particulars about the killing. [4]
B.
Note 1: Buffalo Bill's Wild West performed in Muskegon, Michigan, on August 11, 1896. The day's entry in the 1896 Route Diary: "Muskegon, Mich. / Tuesday, August 11. Arrived in town at 4.45 A.M. One and one-half mile haul to lot. Bert Antes, an American soldier, fell back during parade, and while trying to catch up ran over a little boy and cut his right leg badly, and left several other bad bruises on his body. At 6.50 a wind-storm struck us and the canvas on the east side went down, and at 7.05 the west side came over into the arena, carrying electric light poles and lamps with it; both horse tents and dressing-room were let down, and in fifteen minutes the place looked like a wreck. Things were in a bad condition, and orders were given to pack as no show would be attempted to-night. It was a hard pack up, and everything went backwards, and we did not get through much before our regular time. From this time on we will keep our weather-eye open for the little white clouds. / Business big in the afternoon. / Lot, Terrace and Pine streets. / Arena, 186 x 338.
"When you see one of those little white clouds come up— "These little white clouds can smell canvas, "These little white clouds hate a showman-- "They like to hear canvas rip and tear--"Those Little White Clouds.
The ones that go a twisting around;
If you have any canvas up at this time,
Look out, or it will all come down.
And there's another thing about them, I know,
They will make a 'bee line' for a show lot,
And down your canvas will go.
They like to see things fly around;
They were never known to be content
Until they had the whole thing down.
To them it's a beautiful sound;
But to us it is a serious thing
To see a big show blow down."
Note 2: The "Town" was officially named Cody, Wyoming, in August 1896. [back]
Note 3: "Trego" is Charles Trego (1856-1925) who was a personal friend of Cody's and a foreman for both Scout's Rest Ranch in North Platte, Nebraska, and the TE Ranch in Cody, Wyoming. [back]
Note 4: Cody's meaning of "particulars about the killing" is not clear. [back]
Title: Letter from William F. Cody to George T. Beck
Source: University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Buffalo Bill Letters to George T. Beck (Acc. #9972), ah031381
Date: August 11, 1896
Author: Cody, William Frederick, 1846-1917
Topic: Buffalo Bill's Wyoming
People: Beck, George Washington Thornton, 1856-1943 Bleistein, George, 1861-1918 Salsbury, Nathan, 1846-1902 Rumsey, Bronson, II, 1854-1946 Trego, Charles, 1856-1925
Place: Shoshone Irrigation District (Wyo.)
Sponsor: Supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.
Editorial Statement | Conditions of Use
TEI encoded XML: View wfc.css00495.xml
Back to top
