“Buffalo Bill” Cody Fights the Bureau of Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) was deeply involved in the development of the American West, including the development of townsites near reclamation projects. We hold letters from William “Buffalo Bill” Cody to President Theodore Roosevelt and the Secretary of the Interior expressing his concerns over the development of the town of Powell, WY, which he feared would be detrimental to his development of Ralston, WY, where he had acquired land. This letter, written in 1909, expresses his concerns and attempts to leverage his national significance.
Our office is the nationwide repository for records created by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). Many of the records associated with the BOR’s projects document the individual lives affected by water projects across the American West.
Letter from William F. Cody to James R. Garfield, Secretary of the Interior, February 13, 1909. National Archives Identifier: 5938261.
View and download this letter from William F. Cody to James R. Garfield in the National Archives Catalog. This document is one example of the many records held at the National Archives at Denver. You can explore more of our holdings through the National Archives Catalog or by visiting the National Archives at Denver in person. This record is located within Record Group 115: Records of the Bureau of Reclamation, Series: General Administrative and Project Records, 1902–1919. Many of the records in this collection have yet to be digitized.