I've Gotcher Art Right Here Part 2

In 1868, William F. Cody -- "Buffalo Bill" -- was making his living as a contract buffalo hunter, feeding the crews laying tracks for the Kansas Pacific Railroad. At the same time, William Comstock, also known as "Buffalo Bill," made his living as a contract buffalo hunter feeding the soldiers at Fort Wallace.

To determine the real "Buffalo Bill," a contest was held west of Oakley. Bill Cody brought down 69 buffalo and Bill Comstock brought down 46 buffalo. From that day forward, the legend of William F."Buffalo Bill" Cody was born. [Joe Boulter, 10/28/2006]

This sculpture resides just south of I70 on US83 on the west side of Oakley, KS. I drive by quite a bit, and have always wanted to stop. Today, I had the time.

Charlie Norton from Leoti, KS is the artist. Another popular work of his is on display in front of the Security State Bank in Scott City, KS - it's called Cattleman's Harvest. The bank link is actually a Google Street View of the piece, and the second shows a smaller version for sale. But, all that aside, the Buffalo Bill Buffalo Kill statue is what we have here:

This is facing north.

South view

Close up of the buffalo.


View of Bill on horseback. Keep in mind I'm 6'3". The gun is a Springfield - my high resolution camera phone didn't capture the engraved printing on the receiver of the rifle.

This was the fun shot. There is a lot of detail here - check out the knife, the fringes blowing in the breeze, the tack - all the things a period buffalo hunter and his horse would probably be wearing are here. It's a pretty impressive piece. I'm glad I finally stopped.

The sculpture is atop a mound, and at the bottom is a little museum/outbuilding that was closed today. There is a sheltered billboard with historical information printed on it. There are no steps to go to the top, so it's handicapped capable. If you are ever in the area, it's worth a half hour or so at least.