William Cody’s life was full of adventure. At eleven years old, to help support the family after his father died, he got a job delivering messages on horseback for a freighting company. By the time he was 25 he’d worked as a Pony Express rider, a teamster in the Union army, a US army scout and a bison hunter for the army and railroad. Drawing on his experiences he started acting with a “wild west” touring troupe which lead to the formation of his famous “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” show.
The show was spectacularly successful, playing across the US and Europe for almost 25 years. Unfortunately most of his fortune was gone, due to bad investments and business deals, when he died at 70 in his sister’s house in Denver. His grave is on Lookout Mountain along with a museum originally owned and operated by Johnny Baker, a long time Wild West performer and foster son of Buffalo Bill. The museum contains many original show items and personal belongings of Bill Cody.
The accessible entrance is in the rear of the museum, up a steep ramp. Another series of ramps accesses the museum located on the lower floor. It’s necessary to go back up the ramps to exit. The gift shop, which is in a separate building, and the grave location, located up a paved pathway, are accessible but some wheelchair users may need to have help.
The parking lot is large enough for any RV. The road to Lookout Mountain is part of the Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway. The section from Golden to the lookout has tight curves and vehicles over 40’ are prohibited. Museum
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