MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Horse Park and all the performers will put on a re-enactment of a Buffalo Bill Wild West Show to celebrate the Knox County bicentennial.
Buffalo Bill put on a Wild West Show in Mount Vernon in 1900, so local organizers are planning a re-enactment for Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Knox County Horse Park on Thayer Road, south of Mount Vernon.
Buffalo Bill to speak at special bicentennial chautauqua
MOUNT VERNON — The most famous American of the late 1800’s was not Mark Twain or U.S. Grant or even P.T. Barnum. It was Buffalo Bill and his Wild West (he never referred to it in any of his advertising as a “show”.)
The show features scouts, soldiers, wagon trains, Pony Express riders, Indians, ropers, cowboys, cowgirls, whip artists, cowboy poetry, pioneers and more.
Portrayals of famous Wild West Show performers include Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Gen. Philip Sheridan, Chief Sitting Bull, Chief Crazy Horse, Johnny Baker, Buck Taylor, Annie Oakley, Frank Butler, Frank Richmond and the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, as well as Col. William F. Cody — Buffalo Bill — and his wife, Louisa Frederici Cody. All are under the direction of Nate Saulsbury.
When Buffalo Bill put on a Wild West show in Mount Vernon in 1900, he had a special guest attending, Mrs. Col. Van Horn, the widow of an Army officer under whom Cody had served from 1869-71. In conversation with Mrs. Van Horn, Cody recalled several incidents in his career as a government scout under Col. Van Horn. The Van Horn family members were sent complimentary passes for the show and Mrs. Van Horn had an officers’ escort for the show. A re-enactor will portray Mrs. Van Horn, who, as a special guest, will be escorted by military officers.
A special treat in the show is the appearance of the Mount Vernon Players, who will sing some selections from “Oklahoma!”
Several Civil War re-enactors will portray Custer’s troops in the Battle of Little Big Horn. Surviving that battle will be Commanche, the mount of Capt. Keogh, and another Big Horn survivor who is buried in Delaware, James Orrin Powers. Powers was a scout for Buffalo Bill and Custer, and was at a distance from Custer’s Last Stand.
Another featured appearance is a re-enactor portraying Bill Moose, Last of the Wyandots. Moose, who lived near the Columbus Zoo, also knew Buffalo Bill when they both worked for the Sells Brothers Circus.
A cowboy mounted shooting exhibition will conclude the re-enactment.
A donation of 50 cents admission is the same price that spectators paid to see the show in 1900 in Mount Vernon and other area cities such as Delaware and Sunbury in 1911.