Buffalo Bill sculpture and cultural center



Stop by the Buffalo Bill sculpture near Oakley to kiss the buffalo.



Both the cultural center above, as well as the story boards
seen below, have lots of things to see to help visitors
discover some unique Kansas history.

A larger than life icon of the American West has been immortalized in a larger than life statue in northwest Kansas.

Located just off U.S. 83 near Oakley, the Buffalo Bill sculpture and accompanying cultural center offer visitors a look at the life of William F. Cody, better known as “Buffalo Bill.”

According to legend, in 1868 Cody was working in western Kansas as a contract buffalo hunter, mostly feeding the crews of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. At the same time, a hunter named William Comstock was also hunting buffalo for the soldiers at Fort Wallace west of Oakley. Each was being referred to as Buffalo Bill. To determine who the real Buffalo Bill would be, the men placed a wager and staged a contest in what is now Logan County to see who could harvest the most buffalo in one day. William F. Cody won 69 to 46, thus the legend of Buffalo Bill Cody was born.

The commemorative statue was dedicated in May 2004 and features Buffalo Bill atop his favorite hunting horse, Brigham, with his 50-caliber needle gun, Lucretia, taking aim at a buffalo. Created by Kansas artist Charlie Norton, the bronze sculpture is approximately two times life-sized, standing 16 feet tall and weighting nearly 9,000 pounds. The statue has been voted as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Art.

Visitors are encouraged to walk up the hill to get up close and personal with the statue and even kiss the buffalo! Be sure to use the #kissthebuffalo hashtag when tweeting and posting photos.

Accompanying story boards and audio via 1610 AM are also available for visitors to learn more about the life of Buffalo Bill.

For more information, visit www.buffalobilloakley.org.