The William F. Cody Archive: Documenting the life and times of Buffalo Bill

THE "WILD WEST."

Buffalo Bill Sails for England April First.

Buffalo Bill arrived in the city yesterday from New York, and will remain until this evening, when he goes to North Platte to visit his home and attend to some business affairs. He is in excellent health and spirits, and his many Omaha friends are glad to see him and to hear of his wonderful success. Notwithstanding his great prosperity and accumulation of money, he is the same old Buffalo Bill—generous and genial and sociable, with a pleasant word for everybody. His "Wild West" show closed the season at Madison Square garden, New York, on February 22. The show has been witnessed by 2,100,000 persons. This includes 345 performances, given on Staten Island and at Madison Square garden. It is the most remarkable run ever known in the amusement world, and the record places Buffalo Bill at the head of American showmen.

On the 1st of April the entire outfit, consisting of 250 people and 250 animals, will sail for England on the steamship Nebraska, of the State line, [1] which has been chartered for the trip. On the 2d of May the "Wild West" will open at Earl's Court, South Kensington, in the heart of London, [2] and will remain there during the entire season. The show will be given in connection with the American Exhibition in London, which will occupy twenty-three acres, owned by the railroads and reserved for a mammoth depot and grounds. Fourteen hundred trains arrive and depart every day at that point. Seven acres have been reserved for the "Wild West." A large grand stand, the largest ever constructed, has already been built. It will accommodate 50,000 people. A track one-third of a mile has been provided, and also an ample arena. The American exhibition buildings have already been erected. They bear a striking resemblance to the Centennial buildings of 1876 in Philadelphia. The main building is 900 feet long. The avenues are named after the American presidents, and the streets of the grounds are named after leading American cities. Of course there is an Omaha street. All the space for hotel, bar, restaurant and other privileges have been leased. Buffalo Bill's "Wild West" is to be one of the leading features of the American exhibition, and he is to receive one-half of the gross receipts. That they will amount to an enormous sum there is no question, as London is the most populous city in the world. Besides this is Queen Victoria's jubilee year, the fiftieth anniversary of her reign [3] and it will be the biggest year London has ever seen. Buffalo Bill has been extensively advertised in England. He has many friends among the nobility and leading business men, and he will be accorded a royal reception on personal grounds. He will do much to advertise Omaha and Nebraska, as his show is a Nebraska institution, and the first exhibition was given in Omaha. By the way, it would be a good thing if Governor Thayer would appoint Mr. Cody as one of Nebraska's commissioners to represent the state in an official capacity at the American exhibition, and at the same time some steps ought to be taken immediately to have Nebraska properly represented in the way of agricultural and other exhibits.