Did people believe Hickok, Buffalo Bill or Annie Oakley?
By Forrest Whitman
One of the most famous wild west shows of the late 19th century was run by Buffalo Bill. He really did present an amazing spectacle. In Denver he exhibited hundreds of horses, an entire Indian village, and heroes like Wild Bill Hickok. The Indian village allowed Sioux people to keep tribal dances and lore going at a time when all of that was forbidden on their reservations. The stories western heroes like Hickok told kept alive the whole myth of the west. Much of the show wasn’t historically true, but that didn’t matter to the crowds. They just wanted to see Buffalo Bill in his fancy dress and all those wild Indians. They enjoyed what one writer has called his artful deceptions.
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