Form ;-- i;3CC (Rev 1O-74)
L'\ITED STATESDF.PARTi\IL.NT OF THE INTERIOR FORNPS US.E ONL'T ' f'JATIONAL PARK SERVICE ' ttt . , t!.. . . ' : ': : : : : .. :t 1..: NATIOIqAI REGXSTEROF HISTGR,ICPI.ACES RECEIV€Q INIIflNT'GRY -- zuOMINATIGN FOfr,FyI DA.TE.ENTEfED.
SEEINSTRUCTIONS IN HOWrO CCMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FONMS TYPEALL ENTRIES-- COI\,lPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS ffiruarviu hisToR tc Scoutrs Rest Ranch (LN00-12)
ANDiOR CO,v'IMON Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park LOCATION
SiREET& NUMBER -NOT FORPUSLICATION CiTY.TOWN CONGBESSIONALDI STBI CT Third North Platte x VICINITYOF STATE CODE COUNTY CODE Nebraska 31 Linc,o In 111 ffiflcrassrFrcArToN
CATEG O RY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENTUSE \Z jfoccupreo -DISTR ICT A-PUBLIC -AGFrcuLTU RE x n,tusruu -XaurLori.rcisl -PRIVATE -UNOCCUP!ED -COMMERCIAL -PARK -STRU CTUR E -BOTH -WORK IN PROGRESS -EDUCATIONAL -PRIVATE RESIDENCE -SiTE PUBLIC ACOUISITION ACCESSIBLE -ENTFRTAINMENT -RELIGIOUS
n rF^t -LrE'-rcu I -IN PBOCESS -YES: RESTRICTED -GOVERNIVIENT -SCIENTIFIC _BEING CONSIDERED Jve s' uNREsrBrcrED -INDUSTRIAL _TRANSPOBTATION _NO -MILITARY -OTFIEB: ffiowNER oFPR,oPERTY NAME State of Nebraska. Game and Parks Coinnnission STAEET& f.JUI,43ER State CiTY. TOI^JN STATE L inco ln _ vtctNtTYoF Nebraska ffirGcATIoN 0F xfiGArDEscRTPTIoN COURTHOUSE, R:GISTRYOF DEEDS,ETC Lincoln County Courthouse STRE:T & f'JUMBER
CIiY.TOWN STATE Ncrth Platte Neblaska - , . ffi nennrsrNTATroNrN EXISTTNG suRvEys
Historic Preservacion in Nebraska D ATE \7 7977 -FEDERAL -ASTATE -COUNTY -LOCAL ):PCSI IOqY FOR
1 -l l-?'r['/;li']Or?'r': r f-' .'. .l tl. r'-i r - ! if- :) : v CITY,TOWN STATE
Lincoln,v+14 i'lLr:a a'r J raslcaL a!.)+q ffinEscRIPTToN
CONDITION CHECKONE CHECKONE
_EXCELLENT -DETERIORATED -U NALTERED X-onrcrNALsrrE Xcoco -RUINS X-elrunro -MOVED DATE- _FAIB _UNEXPOSED
DESCRIBETHE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN} PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
ScouLts Rest Ranch was the ranch home of William F. CoCy, "Buffalo 8i11". The ranch is located innnediately west of the city of North Platte, Nebraslta, and j ust souih of the North Platte Rlver, Scout Creek f lorrs through the ranch, between the house anC barn.
The ranch originally consisted of 41000 acres. Now the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Histori-cal Park covers 65 acres, a portion of r+hich -i.;;;;"u,i-s beino nominated, The buildings constructed for Cody (the house, ;;;;, and cob house) are being nominated, while the modern structu.res necessary fot park maintenance are not felC to be eI-igible.
Iiouse, 1886 The two-story frame house was buil t in 1886 to acconmodate the many friends Cody entertained and the fanily of 41 & Julj-a Goodrqan, his sister and brother-in-1aw, who nanaged the raoch, Cody had certain specifications as to size and the furnishings of his rooms but general decisj-ons about, the house rrere lef t to his sister. The builder was Patrick tr{alsh of llorth Pl.aite who completed the house f or $3, 900. The rear addition to the house was added in 1909.
The design of ihe house is derived from the Second Ernpire style r.:rith Iialianaie and Eastlake features. The mansard roof with prominent dornrers aaC the three-story tower are principal Second Empire characteristics. fne raansard roof is covered with round-edged wood shingles. The gable-. :cof ed Ccrrner rvindows have a decoratj-ve prcj ectirig ietaj-l in the poinL. of the gable. A mansard roof tops the three-story Lower and is edged with a r'rooden cresting and small spires at the corners, &s is the house roof. The irregular massing of the exterior is typical of the Second Eapire sty1e.
The Irallanate features include the two-story bay window on the east which cuts through the mansard roof, and the brackets under the cornice. Cody requested that the front porch be ten f eet wide so it r,vould be spacious enough for entertaining. The porch trim suggests an Eastlake influence. It trras fairly typical for the Second Eupire style houses to be A.,aerLeanized with Eastlake porches. Or'ginally the porch rail-ing did have turned posLs as still exist on the porch roof railing.
During L962-64 the house was renovated and restored by the Nebraska t Gane & Parks Comrnission as part of their proj ect to rnake Scout s Rest a State Historical Park. Major structural and interior renovaLion took place at that tinae. Original materials rrere saved rnrhere possible; ho'*e-ver in many cases deterioration was so complete that parts had to be replaced. trlrr To provide structural strengthening, steel beams and poured concrele f ootings were placed under the house. New j oist,s and additional eross bracing under the floors were also added. The original shingle siding, porch rail-ings and details hrere rennoved, c1-eaned, aird reused wben possible. 'be T-e- l:;:ljit ti-i-! l.l rile s i':.:i-:lgh:ic io :+p:rc-..d L':cal;:;: ri rie::,.r'li.or:rliur, Forrrrl.lo 10-30Ca tRev 1O-74t L NITtD SfA'tES DtPARI'NILNT Ol--tHL,IN-l-t:RIOR NATIONALPAf,K SERVICE RECEIVED NATIONAT REGISTEROF HISTORICPI^ACES INVENTORY-- hICIMINATIONFORM ENTERED
CONTINUATION SHEET Description ITEMNUMBER PAGE
The replacement siding rvas specially made to natch the original. Interior walls and ceilings were stripped and new lath and plaster installed. Since L964 the ranch has been oDen to the public.
Barn ca, 1887 Of wood construction, the two-story barn has a lean-to addition on the north side and the siding is board and bauten. The ganbrel roof is covered with rnroodshingles and has three wooden ventilators. The sign ttScoutts t'in Rest Ranchtt is painted on the roof as it was in Codyf s day letters large enough to be read from the Union Pacj-fic, a mile alaytt (see photo ltT and #4), The exposed rafters under the roof overhang are carved in the shape of gun stocks. At the point of the gable is Annie Oakleyrs trademark, the ace of spades rvith a hole in it. The barn is painted red ruith white Erim and battens, 3s it appears in historic photographs. There are four slide-door entrances along the soulh side and cne on each floor of the r.rest end.
Original signs remain included "Col, trf. F. Cody" painted on the center yentilator and the sign above the south wagon ent.rance. Original I,7i1d West posters remain pasted on the interior r'ralls.
Structural renovaLion was done in the sarne period as the house. Neru interior supporLs were placed to reinforce the strucEure. The siding and roofing rnaterial were replaced as needed Eo match the original,
Cob House The cob house i-s a sna1l one-story board and batten sided building with gable roof. There is a small four pane rvindow on each gable end and a door in the center of the east and west sides. The boards are painted red and the baLtens ruhite. On the west side, there are trvo srnall chutes covered ruith hinged wooden flaps painted r'rhite (see photo {15). Each chute empties into a bin which is separated from the center aisle by a partial wal1.
The storage of corncobs near the house v/as helpful so they were easily accessible as kindling for the house stoves. The cob house and ice house are believed to have been built at the same time as the house.
Ice House The ice house is a one-story board and batten sided building with one door (see photo ll7) . The hipped roof has a wooden louvered venti- lator al the c.re.sl. The sidi-nq is painted the same as the barn and
CCb 1:i,,iic, f,:,-l ail.l'"'-1 .te. Forn No. 1O-3OOa liev 1O-74) U NITED STATLSDL,PARI'II{b,NT OF, THE I NTHRIOR R NPSUSE ONLY NATIONALPARK SERVICE RECEIVED hJATIONAI REGISTER OF HISTORIC PL{,CES IN\IENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATEENTEREE
coNTt NUATTONSHEET Descri-ption |TEMNUMBEB 7 PAGE 3
'nline Cellar The stone wine cellar is half dug-out with a bulkhead entrance (see photo lf9). The cellar was not buil-t by Cody as it does not appear in pho tographs prior to L928. The stones used in the construction r.tere salvaged from Codyf s T-barn that burned down. ffisicNIFIcANCE
PERIOD AREASOF SIGNIFICANCE-. CHECK AND JUSTIFYBELOW
-PAEhiSiCs:C _.-ARCFIEOLOGY.PREHISTORIC-COMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE AFCHTTECTURE -RELIG!O N
_. i 4OO.I4g9 _--APCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CONSERVATION -LAW _SCIENCE
_1500.t599 -X.qcnrcuLTURE -ECONOMICS -LITERATURE -SCU LPTUNE
_1600-1639 ---ARCHITECTU RE -EOUCATION _MILITARY -SOCIA L,HUMANITARlAN _:700.1799 __ART -ENGINEERING -MUSIC XiHsnren X reoo.r asg -COMM Ef CE -EXPLORATIO Ni SETTLEM :NT -PHILOSOPHY -TRANSPORTATION
_: 900- -COTvIMUNICATIONS -INDUSTRY -POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _OTHER (SPECIFY} -INVENTION
SPECIFICDATES BUILDER/AdNQq:ffTEEE Patrick Walsh, North Platte
STATEM=NTOF S}GNIFICANCE
ttscoutrs ttBuffalo Resttr was the ranch home of Tnhr.F. Cody Billtt, the premi er showman vrhose l,Iild West shows created the legend of the Aioerican l^Iest rrhich is perpetuated in the rodeos and western movies of today.
Althcugh not the first to use the western frontier as an outdoor enter- tainment, Cody developed the Wil-d West show and dominated it throughout its era. His production beca-me the top show of the genre because he was an pxcellenl sho'nrnan, one of Americars finest. To put it in the r+ords of the t'out-Barnr:med Hartford Cor1ran.f, 1883, he Barnumtt. The shoir under variolrs ffiU.S.andEuropeandbroughtitsspecia1versionofthe Americaa i.Jest to hundreds of thousands of people.
The glarnour and romance of the Anerican tr{esL r./as created ia the l.lild i{est exlravaganza. The cowboy becatne a hero for the firsL tinre in the trIild Hest shows, The idea of the American In.Jian was changed f rorn the Indian fighting afoot in the books of James Fenimore Cooper to the rvild-riding Indian of the Plains. The most famous sir.ovmen of the era worked r+-ith Buffalo t'Little Bill l Annie Oakley Sure Shot" is the most recognlzed name today.
I'lillian Frederick Cody was born Febr. 26, L846 in Le Claire, Iowa. Af ter his father's death in 1857, Willr 4s the eldest child, worked to help support the fanily. He had various jobs included those of Pony Express rider and rnounted mess.*nger f or ltaj ors & Russell, a f reight,ing f irm. In 1864 he enlisted ia the 7th Kansas Volunteer Calvary. Contracted to supply meat (buffalo) for construcLion workers on the Kansas Pacif ic, Cody beearqe knol,m as Buf f alo 8i11. For four J/ears ire was employed as chief of scouts by General Phil Sheridan f or the 5th U. S. Calvary. Empl-oyrnent as a scout f or that length of tine rvas unusual and he was highly respacted. In L859 Edward Judson alias Ned Buntline accompanied Cody on one e-xpedition and iv-roLe the f irst of f our dime novels about -"'-hich hin started rhe legend of tsuffalo Bi1l.
Buntline persuaded Cody to enter the melodrarna stage j.n Chicago to capitalize on his fame. Cociy was on the stage for eleven years before start- ing the irlild West sho'rr. In the suilrmers he worked as a scouL and guide f or hunting parLies, the most notable of which was Ehe expeditions of Grand Duke Alexis of Russie and the Earl of Dunraven.
I'Old For ihe 4ttt of Ju1y, 1882 Cody organized the Glorw Bior^r Out" for '-i-.1-l .'-;:'-' i':.:l:.:., li:ri-':1.j{11,;'lricir- :-1,:-L'.t,ja,ij-imons.!:-1.:i;-,s .,i -r.q l:uiil1.r aad' pi:izes tor con|esEanEs in roping, sirooci-ng, ri coNTt NUATTONSHEET signif i cance ITEMNUMBER PAGE The success of the show encouraged Cody to stage the first professj-ona1 Wild tr,lest show the following year. The "Old Glory Blow Out" rqas important to the development of t.he I'Iild West show and the rodeo. The first show opened May L9, 1883 at the Omaha Fair Grounds and rvas t entitled "The Wild West, Hon. W. F. Cody and Dr. [J. F. Carver s Rocky Mountain and Prairie Exhibition". Although the first year was difficult, Cody and his partner, Carver were encouraged to continue. Other Wilc1 West shows existed in the U. S. but the shovmanship and legends of Buffalo Bill and the whole staff caught the publicrs attention. As a part of the American Exhibition at Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in f887, the shoru was a snashing suceess giving a Royal Command Performance and stayi-ng in England one year. The shornt continued to drar.r record-breaking crowds and played adjacent to the irlorldrs Colurnbian Exposition, 1893 and toured Europe severai more times. The acts adapted to the times. ThettBartle of San Juan Hilltt replaced ttcusterts Last Fighrtt af Eer the Spanish-Anerican tr.lar, Af ter the iurn of the century, financial problens occured rvith increasing regulariLy. Cody lost money on several dj-sasterous investmenis and there rr'ere financial and managenent problems with the h'il-d l^lest shor.r. Cody died January I0r1917 after touring rqith the show until the previous November. World [./ar I nrarked the end of the era of the Wild Llest showi very fer,r existed af ter L9L7 . As a ranch, Scoutrs Rest, under the managernenl of Al Goodman & Cody, initiated several new ranching methods in the area. Cody purchased 4r000 acres in L877 for the raising of cattle and horses. Cody used imported and blooded cattle and throughbred horses at a tirne when crossbreeding and throughbred animals were not coilrmon in the area. In the l890ts Cody arrd a neighboring rancher, Isaac Dillon, privately insLalled a LZ rnile canal fron the ltrorth Platte River in order to irrigate their ranches, Over Ir000 acres on the ranch \rere then farmed. When financial problems were pressing, Cody sold the ranch in 1911 for $100,000. Although the major stylistic influence is the French Second Ernpire, the house 1n genera-l lacks the height and emphasis on the vertical normally associated. with Ehe style, The house is a popular version of Lhe style and trras builc by a local contractor, Very feru examples of the Second Ernpire style rernain in Nebraska, It does not appear to have been a popular styte especially in the western part of the state. The other exLant examples are in the larger cities of Lincoln and omaha (see Joel N- Cornish I{ouse, Onaha, and. Lewis-syford House, Lincoln, NRHP nominaLions). patrick tr,lalsh was a successful builder in North PlatEe erecting many hcrrse-s ai-iil I-1..:orj::irel Si:, ?it.:i,r-lir:l Ca'.i..,riic il..'.'.,:h r\ 1:r,--'1','..oi i,'):-:h::'r.--..' iigr,v l,:r.; .,.-r--.:, il-rl:lr ij::)L\i:,-'-i .Li.r i:1,:: l,rri-i-: ii.-ir ?.J a cl:tiaaillJlt :l-itil t-i': fcr'; j-n Engineers. The contract with Cody to buil See Continuation Sheet fficsocRAPHrcALDATA ACA:AGE OF NOMINATEOPROPERTY 6.93 acres UIM 9EFERsNCES alr'+ | l:l+'glo's,gf la,sls,gL:,z,oJ ZONE EASTING NORTH IN G ZONE EASTING NORTHiNG clr,+| l:l+,gl+'g,gJlt,sls,slL+,oJ olr,+l l:la,gl+,g,oll+,sls,ai:,:,ol VERtsAL BOU NDARY DESCRIPTION LISTALL STATESAND COU|\ITIESFOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTYBOUNDARIES CODE COU NTY CODE :)'.^la CODE COUilTY L\JL,' tr ffiroRM PREPA..REDBY NAU:'iITLE Penelope Chatfield, Curator of llistoric Sites ORGANIZATION DA'I'E Nebraska State llistorical Societ Jul 7977 STR:Ei & NU}I9ER TELEPi-{OIIE L500 R Street (402) 432-2793 CITY OF TOWII STATE Nebraska ffi STATEHISTORIC PRESERVATIoN oFFICER CERTIFICATIoN THEEVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: r.JATroirnlx STATE LOCAL Ai the designatad State H istoric PreservationOfficer lor the National Historic PreservationAct ot 1966 {Public Law B 9-665), I heieby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that ir has been evaluated according to the cnteria and proceduressat forth by the National ParkService. ..' / STA'E HI STO RIC PRESERVATION OFFI CER SIGNATU RE DATE TITLE Director, l{ebraska State Ilistorical Society ,1NPS USE ONLY I HERE3Y CERT}FTTHAT THIS PROPERTYiS }NCLUDEDIN THE jVATIONALNEGISTER DATE L-- I D,3ECTCR.OFFICE CF ARCHEOLOGYAND HISTCRICPRESERIIATION i . L-- -- - f . JA I : Forn to l0-3OOa ,Bev !O-74) LiN lrL D STATESDEpARt'ir{L NT ol- THE TNTHRtoR ORNPS USE ONLY NATIONALPARK SERVICE RECEIVED NATIONAL REGISTEROF FIISTORICPI^ACES IN\ruNTORY -- NOMINATION F'ORM DATEENTERED CONTINUATION SHEET Bibl iography ITEMNUMBER PAGE Gane & Parks Commission, State of Nebraska, Scoutrs Rest Ranch Publications. Le Rolr George, Supt., Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, North Platte, Nebraska. ivlanuscript, L977. Filed at Nebraska State Historical Society. Russell, Don The Livee and Lege+ds of Buffalo Bill, Norman, Okla: University of Oklahorna, 1960. R.ussell, Don The Wild I.Iest or A Histoly of the lrrild h'esF Shows, Fort Worttr, f ex"s: A*;n C"rt"r 1f""""* of Western Art, Lg7O . Iflniffen, Marcus American Architectural Since 1780, Cambridge, Mass. : M. I. T. Press , 1969. Forr \o 1C-30Oa rFter 1O-741 U N ITEDST.\'TES DEPARTMENT Ot. THE I NTT'.RIOR R NPSUS€ ONLY NATIONALPARK SERVICE RECE}VED I{ATIONAL REGISTEROF HISTORICPLq,CES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM OATEENTERED CONTINUATION SHEET Significance ITEMNUM BE R 8 PAGE '3 'Russell,I Don. The Llves and Legends of Buffalo 8i11, Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma, 1960r PaBe 45-54. Photo 1 – Cody House, view to the northwest Photo by Janet Jeffries, Jan 1975, NSHS (7501/1:21) Photo 2 – Barn, view to the north Photo by D. Murphy, Jan 1975, NSHS (7501/1:28) Photo 3 – Cody House, view to north-northeast Photo by D. Murphy, Jan 1975, NSHS (7501/1:25) Photo 4 – view to northeast Date & photographer unknown Photo 5 – cob house, view to the east Photo by William F. Munn, May 1977, NSHS (7705/3:37) Photo 6 – cob house, view to the northwest Photo by William F. Munn, May 1977, NSHS (7705/3:33) Photo 7 – Ice house, view to the northeast Photo by William F. Munn, May 1977, NSHS (7705/3:35) Photo 8 – wine cellar, view to the northwest Photo by William F. Munn, May 1977, NSHS (7705/3:34)