If your driving to Yellowstone National Park from the east, US Route 20 goes through the city of Cody, Wyoming. And Cody, Wyoming is synonymous with William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody, probably the most famous figure from the old American West .
The town was named for him when it was founded in 1896. After all, he did help found the city. So it’s also fitting that the town be the location for The Buffalo Bill Historical Center and Museum which gives a history not only of Buffalo Bill, but life in the American West. The museum also says:
"The collections of the Buffalo Bill Museum interpret the history of the American cowboy, dude ranching, Western conservation, frontier entrepreneurship and, perhaps most importantly, the source of our concepts about the West. The museum records how Buffalo Bill, in an age without television or motion pictures, became the world's foremost communicator about the American West. "
The Historical Center is located on US Route 20, which is called Sheridan Avenue in that area, running concurrently with US 16 and US 14. The Center is really a group of museums:
The Buffalo Bill Museum
The Whitney Gallery of Western Art
The Plains Indian Museum
The Cody Firearms Museum
The Draper Museum of Natural History
The Harold McCracken Research Library
If you're on US 20 coming from the east and headed to Yellowstone, make a point to spend some time in Cody and at the historical center/museum. It is an interesting slice of American history that shouldn't be missed.
Further Reference:
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center and Museum
Cody, Wyoming Chamber of Commerce
Wikipedia: William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody
The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found here.
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