Among the biggest draws of the show are the
actual Indians and cowboys Cody hires as perform-
ers. The Indians enact scenes that reinforce white
stereotypes of Indian people. The performers, how-
ever, benefit from the experience in several ways.
At the very least, it offers them a source of income
in an era when Plains Indians have few ways of
making a living. Working in the show also gives
Indians a chance to travel and, perhaps most im-
portantly, a forum in which to display the superior
horsemanship and marksmanship that has long
been a source of intense pride for young Indian
men of the Plains.
Cody, a former U.S. Army scout, is already a
popular hero because of the embellished accounts
of his exploits in the West written by “dime” nov-
elist Ned Buntline. His show is an instant success,
largely because of his skills at marketing his own
image and because the myths of the “wild West”
hold special appeal for his American and European
audiences. (See also entry for JUNE TO OCTOBER
1885.)JuneU.S. troops penetrate an Apache
mountain hideout.
Determined to end raids by the Apache followers
of Geronimo (see entry for OCTOBER 1881), Gen-
eral George Crook enlists the assistance of Apache
scouts. With their help, his men find and attack
the Apache led by Chato in the Sierre Madre.
The leaders of the runaway Apache, alarmed by
Crook’s ability to persuade fellow tribesmen to fightA 1907 publicity photograph of William “Buffalo Bill” Cody with his cast of Indian performers (Wyoming
State Archives, Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources)