William F. Cody married Louisa Frederici in St. Louis on this day. The next year Cody left Missouri to hunt buffalo providing meat for workers on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. He claimed to have killed 4,280 buffalo during that 17 month period. He became a showman known as “Buffalo Bill.”

This post was contributed by Ross Malone. A historian and a retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website, and buy his books in the Missouri Life store.