The Western Writers of America and the Homestead Foundation will host the James Ersfeld Symposium, “Buffalo Bill Cody and the Bison in American History,” at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West on September 11–12, 2026, in Cody, Wyoming. The two-day gathering brings together leading historians, authors, and curators to explore the life of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody and the enduring story of the American bison.

The annual symposium hosted by the Buffalo Bill Museum and McCracken Library offers scholars, writers, and the public a rare chance to examine one of the most influential figures in Western history alongside the animal that shaped the American plains. Sessions will span museums, literature, film, and the future of the bison today.

Friday, September 11, 2026

Early Arrivals

• Tour of the Buffalo Bill Museum

Along with the excellent lineup of speakers and topics, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (BBCW) is offering free admission to the museum for all attendees! The BBCW is THE premier museum of the West. The institution holds five world-class museums under one roof.

Those museums are:

• The Draper Natural History Museum
• Whitney Western Art Museum
• Plains Indian Museum
• Cody Firearms Museum
• The Buffalo Bill Museum

Evening Reception

Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Kyper Dining Pavilion
5:00–7:30 p.m.

Schedule

• 5:00 p.m. – Cocktail and appetizer reception
• 5:30 p.m. – Welcome
• 5:45 p.m. – Remembering 9/11
• 6:00 p.m. – Hall of Fame Inductions
• 6:30 p.m. – Gone With the West

Saturday, September 12, 2026

Symposium Sessions

Coe Auditorium

• 7:45 a.m. – Doors open
• 8:00 a.m. – Coffee and danishes
• 8:20 a.m. – Opening introduction by Stuart Rosebrook, President, Western Writers of America

Session 1

8:30 a.m. – Buffalo Bill Cody in Museums
Moderator: Stuart Rosebrook
Panelists: Paul Hutton, Andrew Patrick Nelson, and Paul Fees

• 9:30 a.m. – Short break

Session 2

9:45 a.m. – Buffalo Bill in Literature and Film
Moderator: Chuck Rankin
Panelists: Paul Hutton, Andrew Patrick Nelson, and Bill Markley

• 10:45 a.m. – Short break

Session 3

11:00 a.m. – The American Buffalo Today
Panelists: Ken Klemm, Kathleen O’Neal Gear, and Michael Gear

Lunch

12:00 p.m. (Noon) – Buffalo Bill Center of the West Cafeteria

Afternoon Keynote

1:30 p.m. – Dr. Paul Andrew Hutton
Hal and Naoma Tate Endowed Chair and Curator of Western History

Presentation: The Man Who Invented the West: Buffalo Bill Cody

Library Tour & Book Signing

• 3:00 p.m. – Tour of the Library
• Following the tour – Book signing at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West Book Store

Evening Reception & Dinner

Tickets for this event are sold out.

Kyper Dining Pavilion, Buffalo Bill Center of the West

• 5:30 p.m. – Cocktails
• 6:00 p.m. – Buffet dinner
• 7:00 p.m. – Evening keynote presentation

Keynote Speaker: Jane Little Botkin
Presentation: The Breath of a Buffalo: The Life of Mary Ann Goodnight

Drawing from her new book published by the University of Oklahoma Press, Jane Little Botkin will discuss Mary Ann Goodnight’s life and her vital role in helping save the American buffalo.

The symposium will also be a landmark moment for Western literature with the official induction of an exceptional class of authors into the Western Writers Hall of Fame. Recent Owen Wister Award honorees joining the Hall include Dr. Paul Andrew Hutton (2026), Craig Johnson, Quintard Taylor, Joseph M. Marshall III, Irene Bennett Brown, W. Michael and Kathleen O’Neal Gear, Johnny D. Boggs, Will Bagley, Rudolfo Anaya, Louise Erdrich, and Lucia St. Clair Robson. The ceremony will also posthumously induct Jeb Rosebrook (2026) alongside Bret Harte, Marty Robbin, Charles Badger Clark, Vine Deloria Jr., Conrad Richter, Johnny Cash, Paul Horgan, Norman Maclean, and John G. Neihardt — literary and cultural giants whose contributions to the American West continue to resonate across generations.