WILLIAM F. "BUFFALO BILL" CODY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 4/7 - HFSID 257558

WILLIAM F. CODY
Readying his TE Ranch and stating that his Wild West Show is "doing big".
ALS: "Col" with "Cody" in text, 1p, 8¼x11¼. New York, no year April 7. With an original "Buffalo Bill's/Wild West" envelope addressed by Cody to: "Mattie & Eli Jer[?]/TE Ranch/Ishawood/Big Horn Co W[yoming]." Postmarked Owensboro, KY, May 10, 1901. In 1895, Cody began moving cattle to Wyoming. He received a large herd from his friend and hunting companion, Mike Russell. The herd wore the TE brand. Thus Cody named his ranch the TE Ranch. The TE was once rated at 4600 acres, but Cody added other ranches to it and the conglomerate was considered his Big Horn Basin Holdings. He was about 50 when he bought the TE and he considered it a haven from the world. To Mattie & Eli. In full: "The wild west show doing big. Now my dear good friends-the next two months you have got lots to do-hire plenty men-to get the crops in-plow lots of new ground-get in every acre you can-Make a good big garden-clean up all the deadwood in the timber pasturers (sic)-And plant grass seed among the trees-don't cut any green bushes or trees. Keep it for shelter-Make flower bed around house-Mrs Cody coming in July. She likes flowers. Keep things going fast. God bless you both." Mrs. Cody was the former Louisa Frederici of St. Louis, whom Cody had married on March 6, 1866. Lightly creased. Two paper remnants at bottom edge on verso (light show through to blank margin). Lightly stained at top blank margin. Light folds do not touch signature. Overall, fine condition. The envelope's right edge is torn away, removing letters of surname and state. William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody rode with the Pony Express in 1860, was a scout in Tennessee and Missouri for the Union Army during the Civil War and from 1872 toured the United States and Europe with his Wild West Show. Two items.