A fiberglass buffalo statue perched atop Cedar Mountain has been restored to its original condition, serving as a symbol of legendary showman Buffalo Bill Cody's final wishes for his burial site. The restoration project, led by Park County Archives Curator Brian Beauvais, involved a dedicated team of volunteers who worked to repair and repaint the weathered monument that has overlooked the Big Horn Basin for 57 years.

When Beauvais reached the mountaintop last Friday with his restoration crew, he expressed relief that "none of the appendages are gone." The statue had suffered significant vandalism over the decades, including the removal of its ears, horns, and tail, plus what appeared to be bullet holes throughout its fiberglass body. This damage prompted Beauvais to launch the comprehensive restoration effort.

The statue's significance stems directly from Buffalo Bill Cody's Last Will and Testament, in which he expressed his desire to be buried atop Cedar Mountain "so as to lie in close proximity to that fair section of my native country which bears my name and in the growth and development of which I have taken so deep and loving an interest." This sentiment particularly resonated with volunteer Sam Hanna, assistant curator of the Buffalo Bill Museum, who participated in both the initial repair work and the recent painting expedition.

"When I first came here, seeing what Cody had written about in his 1906 will, it hit me what he meant about the Big Horn Basin," Hanna reflected while surveying the panoramic view from the statue's elevated perch.

Beauvais envisioned the restoration project as fulfilling multiple community goals: recognizing the historic importance of buffalo in the Big Horn Basin, performing a community service that celebrates local history, promoting public art, and paying tribute to Jeremy Johnston, the late Buffalo Bill Museum curator who was involved in the initial planning stages.

The statue's origin story emerged during Beauvais's research for a map of local public art several years ago. "Apparently, it was put up there in 1968 by Husky Oil to commemorate Buffalo Bill's intended gravesite," he explained. According to his findings, the statue was also a gift from Golden, Colorado, to the city of Cody, intended to appease local residents for not having Buffalo Bill's actual grave. The famous showman is reportedly buried on Lookout Mountain outside Golden.

According to an article in Points West, the magazine of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Husky Oil provided the helicopter that transported the fiberglass statue to Cedar Mountain on July 4, 1968. This installation commemorated the relocation of the Buffalo Bill Museum to its current location, as the museum was originally housed in the building where the Cody Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center now operates.

"I know it's just an old fiberglass buffalo statue. But it doesn't deserve to be vandalized and neglected," Beauvais stated, explaining the motivation behind his restoration campaign. After researching ownership and finding no responsible party, he sought permission to access the site across Bureau of Land Management and private land before beginning repair planning.

Ray Hatfield at Nature's Design Taxidermy played a crucial role in the restoration, donating both materials and his time to fashion replacement ears, horns, and tail. "Ray Hatfield did an excellent job and donated his time," Beauvais acknowledged. "Matthew and Brandon from Nature's Design Taxidermy were invaluable when it came to attaching them to the fiberglass statue." The taxidermist also sent his two employees up the mountain to attach the new pieces and perform additional patch-up work throughout the statue's body.

Last Friday, the restored buffalo greeted the volunteer paint crew, which included Hanna, Corey Anco, Amy Phillips, John Housel, and William Frere. Anco serves as curator of the Draper Natural History Museum, while Phillips works as the assistant curator. Housel serves on the Buffalo Bill Museum advisory board, and Frere maintains residences in both Cody and Belgium.

"I'm so grateful to everyone who has chipped in on the project. It's been a few years in the making," Beauvais said. "I was thrilled how eager folks were to get involved and pitch in. Their involvement not only breathed new life into the statue, but also demonstrated their dedication to our local history."

Additional support came from Park County and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, both of which allowed their employees to participate in the restoration effort. For Friday's painting task, the county's buildings and grounds department and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West's maintenance department donated paint and brushes, while Housel provided a spray painter and portable generator.

The restoration team made a deliberate decision about the statue's color scheme. "When it was placed in 1968, the statue was originally painted brown," Beauvais explained. "At some point after the installation it was repainted white. We're not really sure why – maybe to make it more visible from below? We discussed whether we should repaint it white, but because we wanted to restore the buffalo to its original condition, we ultimately decided to bring back the original brown color."

The Friday painting session, including travel time, required approximately four hours of dedicated work. The crew began by carefully taping off the horns, tail, hooves, and eyes, then applied the base brown color using both spray equipment and traditional brushes. Next, they applied a darker brown shade to the head and neck area, though not without some debate about how far down the body this darker tone should extend. Finally, after removing the protective tape, they painted the remaining parts black to complete the authentic appearance.

"I was very pleased with the new paint job," Beauvais said afterward, though he noted that an unexpected afternoon shower somewhat affected the final result.

The restoration project will conclude with the installation of a commemorative plaque, scheduled for early September. The Park County Historical Society is funding this plaque in remembrance of Jeremy Johnston, PhD, who served as president of the society and remained very active in Wyoming historical activities throughout his career.

The plaque's inscription will read: "This statue was placed in 1968 to commemorate William F. Cody's intended gravesite atop Cedar Mountain. As Buffalo Bill embodied the spirit of the American West, so too does the buffalo – now recognized as the national mammal – symbolize that enduring legacy. In 2025, the statue was restored and rededicated in honor of Dr. Jeremy Johnston."

Looking toward the future, Beauvais expressed hope that the restoration work will endure for generations to come. "The old buffalo statue has stood for 57 years, and I hope it can watch over Cody for many years to come," he said, reflecting on the community effort that brought new life to this symbol of Buffalo Bill's enduring connection to the landscape he loved and helped develop.