Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, August 22, 1994                   TAG: 9408220054
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By SYD KEARNEY HOUSTON CHRONICLE
DATELINE: GOLDEN, COLO.                                LENGTH: Medium

BUFFALO BILL'S FINAL RESTING SPOT WASN'T HIS FIRST CHOICE

But the innkeeper-scout-buffalo hunter-actor-marksman-Pony Express rider-entrepreneur better known as Buffalo Bill didn't want to be buried here. It's a long story of greed and vindictiveness. It's also one of the most intriguing tales to come out of the Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum.

Cody always wanted to be buried in his beloved Cody, Wyo., the town he founded in 1896. But when he died in Denver at age 70 on Jan. 10, 1917, while visiting his sister, an old nemesis stepped in.

H.H. Tammen, co-owner of the Denver Post, had once lent money to Cody - a man of good ideas but poor business sense - to keep his his struggling Wild West Show afloat.

When Cody's show stopped in Denver in 1913, Tammen had it seized for debts. Later, when the famous but broke buffalo hunter died, Tammen paid for his burial, using his considerable influence to keep Cody's body in Colorado.

Cody's body lay in state at the state capitol before being taken to the top of Lookout Mountain, where 25,000 people came to pay their respects.

For several weeks, guards were posted near the grave because of concerns that citizens of Cody, Wyo., would swipe the body and claim it for that town.

The Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum was opened by longtime friend Johnny Baker a few years after Cody's death. Today it is managed by the Denver Mountain Parks System.

Much of the museum, which is located within steps of Cody's grave, illustrates the man's personal charm. Buffalo Bill probably was the figure most responsible for the romantic view of the West.

Born in Iowa in 1846, he got his first job at age 9 when he herded cattle in Kansas for $25 per month. After joining the Colorado gold rush, he became one of the Pony Express' youngest riders. The 15-year-old once exhausted 20 horses during a 322-mile trek that took less than 22 hours.

He joined the Civil War effort as a scout for the Seventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. After the war he opened a hotel in Salt Creek Valley, Kan., with his new wife, Louisa Frederici.

Cody earned his famous nickname after the hotel venture failed. At 21, he supplied buffalo meat for crews working on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. An excellent marksman (he called his gun Lucretia Borgia), Cody provided 4,280 buffalo in eight months.

Later Cody became a scout for the Fifth Calvary, earning a reputation as a fierce Indian fighter. He was awarded a Medal of Honor for his bravery in 1872. (Typical of Cody's luck, the honor was revoked in 1917.)

In 1883, Cody began the Wild West Show that during its 30 years would feature many of the icons of the romantic West, including Annie Oakley and Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull. The show toured Europe, as well as the United States.

After his show was seized in 1913, the aging Cody worked in the Sells-Floto Circus. His last performance was Nov. 16, 1916 - just three months before his death.

The Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum tells Cody's story thoroughly, but with a certain spin.

While the wholesale destruction of the buffalo is discussed, it is pointed out that Cody ``never killed a buffalo just to be left to rot.'' The exhibitors also say he helped preserve the species by using a herd of 30 in his Wild West Show.

An exhibit on the Plains Indians admits that Cody, as chief of scouts for the U.S. Army, killed Indians. It says, however, that you must put ``[the killings] in context of the times.'' There are some Cheyenne descendants who may take exception to that.

All in all, the museum is a keen stop for those interested in Americana, although much of what you see are reproductions. Dioramas depict Cody's long, storied life. Photographs, original show costumes and saddles are among the treasures here.

One of the better diorama exhibits features the dime novels and the Buffalo Bill Weekly, publications that enhanced Cody's heroic reputation. In these popular publications, Cody fought not only Indians but also Russians, spies, anarchists and other bad guys.

Other galleries in the museum are dedicated to Native Americans and western art, including painting and sculpture.

While he may never have called it ``home,'' this museum and community have definitely taken Cody to their hearts.

The Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum and Grave are located 25 minutes from downtown Denver on Lookout Mountain Road in Golden. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through October. From Nov. 1 through April 30, the museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, except Mondays. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children. Call (303) 526-0747.