Chautauqua of Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok at Dangberg Historic Park

Chautauqua performers Chuck Baldauskas and Doc Durden will present “Buffalo Bill & Wild Bill: Pals Together Again” at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday September 2, at 6:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and free to attend.

William F. Cody worked as a trapper, gold prospector and Pony Express rider all by the age of fourteen. During the Civil War he became a wagon driver for a Kansas Union Volunteer Cavalry unit, as well as a clerk, messenger and a scout. It was as a buffalo hunter for the U.S. Army and the Kansas Pacific Railroad that he earned the nickname Buffalo Bill. In 1872 Cody became a stage actor where he later met Wild Bill Hickok. As a successful and established actor, Cody was able to develop his own outdoor production which became famously known as “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West”.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok went west at age 18 as a fugitive from justice, first working as a stagecoach driver, then as a lawman in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. He fought and scouted for the Union Army during the Civil War and gained publicity after the war as a scout, marksman, actor and professional gambler. He was involved in several notable shootouts and was shot from behind and killed while playing poker in a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory. The card hand which he held at the time of his death came to be known as the "Dead Man's Hand".

Chuck Baldauskas is a retired State of Nevada employee and a lifetime student of history. For over two years Baldauskas has portrayed The Honorable William F. Cody, known as Buffalo Bill, with the Virginia City Living Legends. He has since participated in six parades, including the Nevada Day Parade, a television show about Mark Twain in Virginia City and an independent Western filmed in Virginia City entitled "The Evil Twin".

Doc Durden is a bull whip instructor who portrays Wild Bill Hickok using the bullwhip to enhance his character’s presentation. Durden is also a casting director, producer and videographer. His most recent production “The Evil Twin”, is an independent Western filmed in Virginia City. Durden has also appeared on the Discovery Channel and HBO, has served as ambassador of the Nevada State Fair, owns and operates the Triple D Ranch Wild West Town & Movie Set and portrays Wild Bill Hickok with the Virginia City Living Legends.

This is a free outdoor event. The park is located at 1450 Hwy 88, ¼ mile north of the Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital. Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn. Dogs are not permitted in the park, with the exception of certified service animals. For more information, visit dangberghomeranch.org or call 775-783-9417.

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