Here’s All the Evidence William “Buffalo Bill” Cody Was Actually Born in Lanesboro, MN
June 30, 2025
Spoiler: There is no evidence. But legend says his famous Wild West show may have been born here—and that’s even better.
Okay, let’s get this out of the way:
No, Buffalo Bill wasn’t born in Lanesboro.
He first drew breath in LeClaire, Iowa in 1846. But hey—clickbait titles aside—don’t ride off disappointed just yet. Because while Lanesboro can’t claim Buffalo Bill’s birthplace, we might just be the birthplace of his biggest idea.
🤠 A Legendary Visit to a Booming Little Town
When William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody first clomped down the wooden sidewalks of Lanesboro in the late 1870s, both he and the town were on the brink of something big. Cody, in his late 20s, had already lived enough lives for five men—Army scout, Pony Express rider, buffalo hunter—and Lanesboro, still barely a decade old, was in the midst of a mini-boom thanks to a brand-new railroad, busy flour mills, and a sparkling new dam.
Cody wasn’t just passing through—he came to visit his old friend and fellow Army scout, Dr. Frank “White Beaver” Powell, who happened to be Lanesboro’s first doctor and resident frontier character. The two were a perfect match: larger-than-life, buckskin-clad, attention-loving showmen who—according to local legend—thought nothing of riding horses down Main Street, long hair flying, pistols blazing, and whooping it up like it was their own personal stage.
One afternoon, the story goes, they even took turns shooting an apple off a local boy’s head. (Try that today and you’ll end up in a whole different kind of shootout—with liability lawyers.)
🎪 Enter: The Wild West Show
Here’s where things get interesting. Legend says it was right here in Lanesboro—between the flour dust, Main Street horseplay, and White Beaver’s wild ideas—that Cody and Powell hatched the first sketches of what would become Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
Part rodeo, part circus, part live-action history lesson, the Wild West Show would go on to become a global sensation, entertaining millions and cementing Cody’s status as the first true American celebrity.
And get this: some say the first-ever dress rehearsal of the show happened right here in Lanesboro. Story goes it even involved local Native Americans as participants—a bold and theatrical debut for an idea that would gallop across continents.
🏞 A Legacy That Lasts
Buffalo Bill’s visit left a mark. A tall bluff just outside of town still bears the name Buffalo Bill’s Peak, a nod to his dramatic presence in our town’s early days. And every August, we channel that same bold frontier spirit with a celebration that’s one part historical homage, one part all-out party.
🎉 Buffalo Bill Days: A Frontier-Sized Festival for a Legendary Weekend
If Buffalo Bill himself were to ride into Lanesboro today (preferably in full buckskin on a show pony), there’s no doubt he’d feel right at home during Buffalo Bill Days. Held every August, this multi-day celebration is Lanesboro’s biggest annual event—and it’s as jam-packed as a Wild West saddlebag.
The weekend kicks off with live music echoing down the historic streets, where you’ll find folks dancing under the stars, tapping toes on Main Street, and maybe even breaking out a few moves Buffalo Bill never saw coming. Add in a beer garden, delicious food vendors, and the unmistakable smell of grilled goodness in the air, and you've got a recipe for a perfect small-town summer night.
Daytime fun includes sports tournaments (including the regionally beloved softball showdowns), a classic car show, kids’ games and inflatables, and one of the most charming parades you’ll ever see—think tractors, horses, marching bands, local royalty, candy-flinging chaos, and maybe even a mustachioed Buffalo Bill lookalike waving from a float.
Feeling lucky? Try your hand at bingo, cheer on hundreds of squeaky little competitors in the rubber duck race down the Root River, or cool off with some ice cream in Sylvan Park.
And when the sun goes down? That’s when Lanesboro really lights up—literally—with a fireworks display over the bluffs that would’ve had even Buffalo Bill himself yelling, “Yeehaw!”
Whether you come for the nostalgia, the community spirit, or just to soak in one of the most scenic small towns in Minnesota at its liveliest, Buffalo Bill Days is the kind of weekend that creates stories you’ll be telling for years—just like the ones Bill and White Beaver left behind.
🤷♂️ Fact or Fiction?
Sure, we can’t prove the Wild West show definitely started here. But it makes a heck of a good story, and in Lanesboro, we’re not above leaning into a little theatrical legend. After all, Buffalo Bill himself never let the facts get in the way of a good tale—and neither do we.
So no, he wasn’t born here. But did he party here? Plot his rise to fame here? Maybe even launch the world’s most famous Wild West extravaganza here?
Let’s just say… we wouldn’t bet against it.
(Special thanks to Lanesboro author and historian Steve Harris, whose writings on Buffalo Bill in Lanesboro inspired much of this article.)
