You Can Call Me: Bill

In 1867, at the age of 21, William Cody took up the trade that gave him his nickname, hunting buffalo to feed the construction crews of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. Supposedly he killed 4,280 head of buffalo in seventeen months. He was paid about $500.00 a month. Common wages were around $30.00. By early 1868 he was becoming quite well known for his abilities as a buffalo hunter and his friends began referring to him as "Buffalo Bill". Well, Fort Wallace, further west, had their own "Bill" hunting buffalo for them and felt that if anyone deserved the title of Buffalo Bill it was their hunter Bill Comstock.

The only logical thing to do was to have a buffalo hunting contest to see who would forever be known as "THE Buffalo Bill". The contest was designed to determine who could bring down the most buffalo in a eight-hour shooting match. At the end of the day Cody had killed 69 to Comstocks 46. Cody won $500.00 and the right to have the name Buffalo Bill.
This statue is located in Oakley, KS. Oakley is not named after Annie Oakley. The actual contest took place about 10 miles west of this statue. So Oakley claims to be the place where a legend was named. Buffalo Bill Cody.