Company Profile
Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Company Overview
Our Mission: To connect people to the American West
Explore the saga that is the real West in our five, family-friendly museums: Draper Natural History Museum, Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, and Cody Firearms Museum. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West shares the epic stories of Yellowstone and the American West together in one place, for one price. Join us as we connect people to the stories of the American West through our galleries, exhibitions, programs, and kid-approved activities. Through your presence and participation in all we have to offer, you will find that this is your West!
We’re also located in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone region—just outside Yellowstone National Park’s East Gate. So we’re surrounded by the majesty of the Rockies and are privy to the history and myths of the Old West, the vibrant life of the New West, and the living cultures of Plains Indian peoples.
Company History
The history of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (formerly the Buffalo Bill Historical Center) starts with Mary Jester Allen, who had a dream. After her famous uncle died in 1917, she envisioned a great national shrine and memorial to both William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody and the early pioneers of the American West. In 1927, she began her quest as curator of the Buffalo Bill Museum, a modest log building in remote Cody, Wyoming, mimicking Buffalo Bill’s TE Ranch house, on the Southfork of the Shoshone River. The story of the evolution from a 50 x 70 foot log building to the monumental Buffalo Bill Historical Center is fascinating and inspiring. It is a tale of vision, perseverance, and dedication, Eastern and local support, creativity and continuity. Today’s Center encompasses five museums, a research library, a professionally developed Web site, and a vibrant educational outreach program.
William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody loved the limelight, high drama and adventure, travel and change, challenge and complexity. He became a world-renowned showman, depicting the American West in staged events that riveted attention and captured hearts worldwide. The genesis and development of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center has, historically, placed him at center stage. Without question, were it not for his life and fame, this institution would never have come into being.
The first seeds of an idea for a memorial to Buffalo Bill were planted in early 1917, shortly after he died. However, it would take seven more years for a bronze monument to be conceived and dedicated in his hometown of Cody, Wyoming, and ten more years for construction of the Buffalo Bill Museum, the first, lone museum of what was to become the Historical Center. This delay was due, undoubtedly, to the entrance of the U.S. into World War I in 1917, which changed the town’s and the country’s focus for a time.
READ MORE by clicking the following link: https://centerofthewest.org/about-us/history/
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Five amazing museums, one Wild West
Our very own Whitney Western Art Museum has been voted the “Best Art Museum” by Newsweek! In this Readers’ Choice contest, expert panelists from the art world select ten nominees and then Newsweek readers vote on the winner. We’re in good company, topping a list that also includes the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Denver Art Museum.
Congratulations to the Whitney for well-deserved recognition of exceptional dedication and contribution to the art world.
Benefits
HSA with employer contributions
Life Insurance
Short Term and Long Term Disability Insurance
Holidays and 1 floating holiday
Volunteer Paid Time Off
Personal Time Off
Wellness Program
Work/Life Balance
Some Alternative Work Arrangement
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Successful candidates must pass a criminal and employment background check.