Last Updated on: 23rd April 2025, 09:22 am
For those making a road trip across Nebraska, North Platte makes for the perfect stopover between Omaha and either Denver or Scotts Bluff National Monument. But this small city also happens to be the hometown of the legendary Buffalo Bill, whose former home, the Buffalo Bill Ranch, shouldn’t be missed by anyone passing through.
Admittedly, I knew almost nothing about Buffalo Bill before my visit, other than that he was a famous figure associated with the Wild West. But by the end of my brief stay, I came away knowing a lot more about Buffalo Bill and the era in which he lived.
As we’ll cover below, North Platte is also home to another great attraction called the Lincoln County Historical Museum. And for more information on the best places to stay, be sure to check the end of the article.
The Buffalo Bill Ranch
As it’s part of a State Park, entrance to the Buffalo Bill Ranch can be a bit pricey for those coming from afar. First, the State Park fee costs $14 for out-of-state vehicles, while entry to the museum costs $4 per person on top of that. But is it worth it?
While the answer is going to vary from person to person, as someone will little prior knowledge of Buffalo Bill, I was ultimately glad to have made the stop.
Visits begin at the mansion. Completed in 1886, it was built in the Second Empire style and was designed by none other than Buffalo Bill’s sister. It cost $3,900 at the time of its construction, or about $106,000 in today’s money.
As a whole, the ranch was officially known as ‘Scout’s Rest Ranch.’ And Bill had hoped to retire here one day to become a ‘gentleman farmer,’ or a landowner who farms as a hobby.
While it would indeed serve as his home base for the remainder of his life, he’d never fully give up touring and traveling.
Eventually, the ranch was sold in 1911 and his surviving family members moved to Cody, Wyoming – a town founded by and named after Buffalo Bill Cody himself.
Tours are self-guided, and upon entry, you’ll be given a paper pamphlet with more information. And throughout the museum, you’ll find plenty of information posted on the walls.
Different rooms in the house include the kitchen, dining room, den, cupola, and numerous bedrooms upstairs.
Some of the notable items on display include many of Buffalo Bill’s rifles, along with ‘Bill’s Coat,’ which was made from the hide of a beloved horse (also named Bill) who could no longer work due to breathing issues.
But for those not entirely familiar with Buffalo Bill, you may still be wondering: Who exactly was he and what made him famous?
Buffalo Bill was born in 1846 as William F. Cody in Le Claire, Iowa. As a boy, he gained extensive experience with horses by working as a long-distance messenger. And by his early twenties, he gained notoriety as a skilled bison hunter.
He hunted the bison in order to supply meat for railroad construction workers. It was, in fact, the work crews that gave him his nickname. (Bison are not technically buffalo, but they’re still commonly referred to as such.)
After getting married to his wife Louisa Maude Frederici in 1866, they eventually settled down in North Platte, Nebraska after living in various other towns.
He’d then begin his Wild West Show in 1883 and would continue touring with the popular show for the next forty years.
Buffalo Bill eventually passed away in Denver in 1917, and his grave is located at Lookout Mountain, Colorado.
Your tour of the house museum will then bring you to multiple rooms that go into Buffalo Bill’s life, his Wild West Show and the various performers that were associated with it.
From around 1870-1920, Wild West shows were an extremely popular form of entertainment in both the US and Europe. And Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show was the most popular among them.
It was largely an open-air show that featured plenty of stunts and action, while it also helped romanticize the Wild West. The show was a rare opportunity for those in other regions to see things like bison and Native American chiefs, for example.
Some of the prominent members of the show included Johnny Baker, Bill’s neighbor who frequently spent time at his ranch as a boy.
Baker eventually started traveling with the Wild West show from age fourteen. And years later, he was even appointed as manager of the entire show.
Following Buffalo Bill’s death, Baker would try to establish his own show, though it wasn’t a success. He’d then operate a lodge and museum near Buffalo Bill’s grave, showing how dedicated he remained to his mentor.
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show also included William Sweeney, one of his close friends who led the Cowboy Band for decades.
Numerous females were part of the Wild West Show as well, such as Ethyle and Juanita Perry, the ‘Cowgirl Twins’ who performed many daring horseback stunts.
Another famous name was Annie Oakley, known for being such an amazing shot that she earned the nickname ‘Little Sure Shot.’
As mentioned, Wild West shows typically involved Native Americans who played themselves in battle reenactments. One such Indian was Iron Tail, a Lakota who served as the leader of all the other Native Americans on the show.
On display are various items that belonged to him, such as a pair of exquisite beaded moccasins.
For a brief period of several months in 1885, Sitting Bull, a Lakota Sioux chief, also toured with the Wild West Show.
He’d already earned a reputation for being a fierce warrior, as he’d led one of the last major uprisings against the federal government in the Great Sioux War of 1876.
Also part of the show were the Georgian Trick Riders. Though promoted as the Russian Cossacks, these riders were actually from the Guria region of western Georgia, and they remained part of the Wild West Show for 25 years.
Learning of this, I couldn’t help recalling being in Georgia at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. And during a day on which all cars were banned in Tbilisi, someone from a neighboring village rode around the capital on his horse!
Also on display is Masonic paraphernalia that belonged to both Buffalo Bill and Johnny Baker. Buffalo Bill joined the Platte Valley Lodge at the age of 23, eventually rising to the 32nd degree of the Scottish Rite in his 40s.
An interesting fact that will likely surprise many visitors is that Buffalo Bill was one of the very first comic superheroes. Back in the 19th century, due to the fame of his Wild West show, he inspired numerous comic book artists and his likeness appeared in nearly 2000 books.
Originally, they weren’t quite comic books as we know them today, but smaller ‘dime novels.’ But later, after the comic book format started to become the norm, Buffalo Bill remained a popular star. This was decades before the first Superman comic!
The route eventually takes you outside. And behind the mansion, you’ll find multiple small structures. One of them is where workers would keep the local spring water clean, while another served as storage for corn cobs.
And the aptly named Ice House was storage for blocks of ice that served as natural refrigeration sources.
Also out back is the large Duck Pond, which the Cody’s used for both swimming and fishing.
The other main structure of the Buffalo Bill Ranch is the large barn that was built in 1887. The property used to have an even larger barn, but it burnt down in 1904 and was never rebuilt.
The barn’s interior presumably looks close to how it did during Buffalo Bill’s time. And adorning the walls are more informational signs about certain individuals that were part of the Wild West Show.
Exiting the barn, at the far edge of the Buffalo Bill Ranch is a pen where a couple of bison are being kept.
As mentioned, Buffalo Bill earned his nickname due to being such a skilled bison hunter. But when the American bison almost neared extinction, he used his show to spread awareness about the need for preservation.
Of course, if you’ll be doing any travels to South Dakota, North Dakota or Wyoming, you’ll have plenty of chances to see wild bison from much closer up.
There’s still yet one more landmark to be found outside. Before this ranch was established, Buffalo Bill had been leasing some land about 60 miles away for cattle ranching.
And this modest cabin served as that ranch’s headquarters. Known as the North Cabin, it moved to several locations before it was eventually donated to the Buffalo Bill Ranch.
The Lincoln County Historical Museum
Despite being a small city of just over 20,000, visitors to North Platte may be surprised to find yet another historical museum around the corner from the Buffalo Bill Ranch.
The Lincoln County Historical Society Museum is open from Monday–Saturday from 9:00–17:00 and on Sunday from 13:00–17:00, but only from May-September.
Unfortunately, I can’t remember the exact price, nor is it listed anywhere on their website, but I believe it was a little under $10.
Built by the Lincoln County Historical Society in 1976, the museum sits next to a track of the Union Pacific Railroad that was laid out in 1886.
As discussed in our guide to Omaha, it can be hard to fully comprehend the major role that rail played in the development of the US Midwest and West. After all, having your own car is the only practical option for getting around the region today.
But given its position in the center of the country and being one of the major stops on the Overland Route between Chicago and San Francisco, Omaha was a major transport hub in the early 20th century.
And being several hours west of Omaha, the Union Pacific Railroad had a major role in the development of North Platte. The city, in fact, is currently home to Bailey Yard, the world’s largest railroad classification yard.
The museum covers a wide variety of topics, including regional Native American history, the area’s early European settlers, and the development of the local railroad.
Interestingly, back in the early 20th century, many of the laborers who worked on it were migrant laborers from Japan. Many Japanese immigrants also went on to become successful entrepreneurs.
Other exhibits showcase things like how a typical home would’ve looked in the first half of the 20th century, as well as how in World War II, the North Platte Canteen served food to millions of soldiers.
The main highlight of the museum, however, is its expansive outdoor area, home to a plethora of original 19th and 20th-century buildings that were relocated here.
They include numerous houses, the small Fort McPherson, an old barber shop, and a church.
All in all, the Lincoln County Historical Museum is well worth the extra stop for those already visiting the Buffalo Bill Ranch.
Additional Info
North Platte is by no means a big city, so it’s not particularly important which neighborhood you choose.
I stayed at 83 Motel, located along the Blue Star Memorial Highway, the town’s main road. It was nothing fancy, but it had everything we needed and was just fine for a one-night stay.
Other highly-rated options include Comfort Inn & Suites North Platte and Husker Inn.