Our
Mission
The Buffalo Bill
Museum and Grave,
a facility owned
and operated by
the City and County
of Denver, exists
to preserve the
memory of William
F. "Buffalo
Bill" Cody.
To this end it maintains
the Cody gravesite
and related structures
on Lookout Mountain
Park; collects,
cares for and interprets
artifacts associated
with "Buffalo
Bill" Cody's
life and times between
1846 and 1917; and
records Cody's ongoing
influence on American
culture.
Our
History
William F. Cody
died in 1917 and
was buried in Lookout
Mountain Park. According
to Mrs. Cody and
other close friends,
he had asked to
be buried on the
mountain overlooking
the Great Plains
where he had spent
so much of his life.
In 1921 Johnny Baker
opened the Buffalo
Bill Memorial Museum
near the grave.
The artifacts in
the Museum were
items he had collected
over the years and
had gathered from
the many friends
who had performed
with him in the
Wild West. Mrs.
Cody also provided
objects, although
she died and was
buried next to her
husband shortly
before the Museum
opened. The City
of Denver owned
the property but
the Bakers owned
the artifacts and
ran the museum and
shop. They called
the building "Pahaska
Tepee" after
Cody's hunting lodge
of the same name
outside of Yellowstone
Park.
After Johnny Baker's
death in 1931, his
wife Olive continued
to operate Pahaska
Tepee until her
own death in 1956.
At that point, under
an earlier agreement,
the collection became
the property of
the City. The Museum
is now operated
by the City
and County of Denver.
We are part of Denver
Mountain Parks division
of Denver Parks
and Recreation.
Contact
Us
Phone: 720-865-2160
FAX: 720-865-2161 Contact
Us