Official Route Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, France, 1905.

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Tour across France in 1905.

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show was a popular American traveling exhibition that ran between 1883 and 1913. Founded by the legendary figure William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the show featured a dazzling spectacle of Old West themes; including sharpshooting, horsemanship, and cowboy skills. It also showcased a diverse cast of performers such as Native American chiefs, Mexican vaqueros, and cowgirls, adding an element of cultural exchange to its entertainment. The show gained international fame and toured throughout the United States and Europe, where it drew massive crowds and captivated audiences with its portrayal of the American frontier.

This former pocket map shows the grueling tour taken by Buffalo Bill and his gang across France between April and November of 1905. A somewhat vague base map is overlaid with a vibrant red route identifying 114 separate stops from Paris to Marseille. A table in the lower left lists each host city, along with their respective mileage – nearly 6,000 miles traveled by rail alone!

Published in London in 1905 by Weiners, Ltd. From the collection of noted circus memorabilia collector John Zweifel. Scarce, with only 3 entries noted in OCLC at Yale, University of Minnesota, and Autry Museum of the American West.

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