On the trail of Buffalo Bill and his 1903 visit to Wellingborough
A man who has been researching the life of legendary solider and showman Buffalo Bill for more than two decades is seeking help with his quest.
Tom Cunningham, from the Scottish National Buffalo Bill Archive, is trying to compile a complete list of the British venues where the famous frontiersman appeared.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOne of the most famous and well-known figures of the American Old West, Buffalo Bill Cody performed in cowboy-themed shows across the United States and, from 1887, in Great Britain and continental Europe.
Tom said: "I have most of the details but only a few from the later tours - 1903 and 1904 - continue to elude me. One of those is Wellingborough.
"Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World came to Wellingborough on Friday, September 18, 1903.
"The show boasted 500 horses and 800 people, among whom were my own personal favourites, around 50 genuine Sioux Indians from Pine Ridge, who pitched their tipis on the show ground.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"Those earlier seasons had consisted of long stands in a few favoured major cities but over the course of the later tours, 1903 and 1904, practically every town and city of any size and significance in England, Wales and Scotland received a visit, for the most part for one day only, with performances in the afternoon and evening.
"Colonel Cody’s entourage moved from town to town in three special trains; a partnership with James Bailey, of Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth, had provided the expertise which was key to the logistics of such an enterprise.
"On Thursday, September 17, 1903, Buffalo Bill’s venue was Northampton’s Racecourse; on Saturday,September 19, Bayes’ Field, Rothwell Road, Kettering.
"Sandwiched between the two on the Friday was the turn of Wellingborough but, unusually, this particular venue was poorly publicised and I have been unable to locate a newspaper advert from the time which would disclose this information.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"I am very close to attaining my objective of compiling a full list of Buffalo Bill’s British venues but Wellingborough is one of six which still elude me.
"I do have one important clue – the Evening Telegraph ran an article a few days after the event, in which it referred to ‘the show ground on the…’
"Case closed? Not quite! The hard copies are no longer available and have not scanned very well. Being located on the column to the immediate left of the centre of the bound volume, about half of the digitalised text is so distorted as to be illegible. The first letter is clearly ‘N’ and the second is (probably) ‘e’. It has been suggested to me (I am not a local resident) that this might refer to Nene Park. Note however the preposition ‘on’ as opposed to ‘in’, so this would indicate ‘the Nene riverside’, or similar.
"Wherever it lay, Buffalo Bill’s Wellingborough stand must have consisted of a minimum of 10 acres of level ground.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"Hence this appeal - I am hoping that some local resident will remember a grandparent talking about it. Someone must know! Would you care to share your secret with me?"
If you remember hearing about the time Buffalo Bill came to Wellingborough, you can contact Tom F. Cunningham at the Scottish (soon to be British) National Buffalo Bill Archive via email at [email protected], or write to 16 Parkthorn View, Dundonald, South Ayrshire KA2 9EZ.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.