The Greatest showman

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1. Morally or ethically challenged
2. Known for the use of a tent for his shows
3. A guest of the Queen of England
4. An actor, a carny and an opportunist
5. Poor in finance and business decision skills
6. Of Mount Rushmore fame, but ultimately chose and was chosen for another Mountain

Willam Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (pictured to the far right in the collage) matches all the preceding qualifiers and would be considered the Greatest Showman by many Goldenites.   At the end of July Buffalo Bill Days were once again celebrated.  Sadly a crowd favorite, the Mutton Bustin event (where children wearing helmets try to ride sheep), was cancelled due to liability and insurance concerns. Even in this cancellation there was no regard for the sheep who historically sport neither helmets nor kneepads while getting busted. Yet this disregard for animal wellbeing is commensurate with any recognition of the man who's moniker is emblamatic of his slaughter of over 4000 bison in less than two years. This atrocity was a collaborative plan that Cody and another William (Tecumseh Sherman ) came up with to solve the "Indian Problem" on the frontier.  Bill's career as a showman was formally ignited by his scalping of Yellow Hand. This warrior was portrayed as a frontier day CornPop, and William's hyperbolic dispatching of Yellow Hand became an act of glorified revenge for another morally and ethically challenged general and showman, George Armstrong Custer.

If one reads about the history of Buffalo Bill at his gravesite atop Lookout Mountain, many of his character flaws and moral shortcomings are ignored or whitewashed.  History has been abbreviated to that of a rendering Bill as a great showman. This whitewash was vexing until it was realized that in life, and certainly death, faith comforts with confidence that sins are not only whitewashed, but erased. The daily temptation to tally up the transgressions of others, or rank transgressions as if that has eternal relevance has been a personal struggle. It is reported that Cody had a change of spirit or perspective later in life. Maybe he not only realized the atrocities of his fame, but sought to educate others on the grievous loss that he once championed and brought to fruition. 

Though the citizens of Cody, Wyoming wanted Bill to be buried there, he altered his last wishes and asked to be buried a top Lookout Mountain just west of Golden. The timing of Bill's death in Denver (January 2017) meant his formal burial was almost six months later when it was much warmer. Until then, Bill was kept on ice in downtown Denver.

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BTW, and in case you are wondering, P.T. Barnum is the leftmost photo. He was a renown showman in his own right and had the first five qualifying points in common with Cody.  A 2017 film titled "The Greatest Showman" was based in some part on P.T. Barnum's life. P.T. reportedly stated "The noblest art is that of making others happy" and "You can fool most of the people most of the time." The movie may also have whitewashed some of his moral and ethical shortcomings, but it too infers Barnum had a favorable turn of character later in his career.    

The center photo in the above collage is the outlier. The photo's origin or occasion is unknown, but it is a brother's face that has been superimposed on an original frontier photo. This brother was in fact a good artist, an actor. From there similarities with either P.T. or Bill seem more remote, unless he hasn't been forthcoming about any visits with royalty. This brother might think the posted photo, especially in the context of a discussion of showman and frontier atrocities, more caviler than appropriate.

One closing note, at the end of July 2025 both Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan died. These showman were of a different era than Buffalo Bill, but their art like Bill's, was conjoined with hyperbole. The show became, and at times superseded the art.