ALS signed “Cousin Will,” two pages, 8.5 x 5.5, Scout’s Best Ranch letterhead, June 18. Letter to his cousin Frank. In full, “I received your telegram am anxious to get your letter to know how badly you were hurt. I hope you are ok by this time. I arrived home this morning was held three days in Denver. Sent you the papers. Will have the stock here next week. Will sign and send or bring some to you. Hope you have been able to make some sales. As Ewing wants to start the mill & start work on Southern Belle. If there is any good news telegraph me here. I do want to sell some of my personal stock to raise cash to start the show.” Cody adds a brief postscript, “Still have a bad cold.” In 1883, he organized Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, an outdoor extravaganza that dramatized some of the most picturesque elements of frontier life: a buffalo hunt with real buffalos, an Indian attack on the Deadwood stage with real Indians, a Pony Express ride, and at the climax, a tableau presentation of Custer’s Last Stand in which some Lakota who had actually fought in the battle played a part. The show proved an enormous success, touring the country for three decades and playing to enthusiastic crowds across Europe. In fine condition, with two vertical folds to each page, one affecting a single letter of signature. COA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
