Editing Buffalo Bill (section)

=== Irrigation ===
[[Larry McMurtry]], along with historians such as R. L. Wilson, asserted that at the turn of the 20th century, Cody was the most recognizable celebrity on Earth.<ref name="Wilson" /> While Cody's show brought an appreciation for the Western and American Indian cultures, he saw the [[American West]] change dramatically during his life. Bison herds, which had once numbered in the millions, were threatened with extinction. Railroads crossed the plains, [[barbed wire]], and other types of fences divided the land for farmers and ranchers, and the once-threatening Indian tribes were confined to reservations. [[Wyoming]]'s coal, [[Petroleum|oil]] and natural gas were beginning to be exploited toward the end of his life.<ref name="Wilson" />

The [[Shoshone River]] was dammed for [[hydroelectric power]] and [[irrigation]]. In 1897 and 1899, Cody and his associates acquired from the State of Wyoming the right to take water from the Shoshone River to irrigate about {{convert|169000|acre|km2|-1|abbr=on}} of land in the [[Big Horn Basin]]. They began developing a canal to carry water diverted from the river, but their plans did not include a water storage reservoir. Cody and his associates were unable to raise sufficient capital to complete their plan. Early in 1903, they joined with the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners in urging the federal government to step in and help with irrigation in the valley.

The [[Shoshone Project]] became one of the first federal water development projects undertaken by the newly formed Reclamation Service, later known as the [[Bureau of Reclamation]]. After Reclamation took over the project in 1903, investigating engineers recommended constructing a dam on the Shoshone River in the canyon west of Cody. Construction of the Shoshone Dam started in 1905, a year after the Shoshone Project was authorized. When it was completed in 1910, it was the tallest dam in the world. Almost three decades after its construction, the name of the dam and reservoir was changed to [[Buffalo Bill Dam]] by an act of Congress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbdvc.com/Buffalo_Bill_Dam_History.php|title=Buffalo Bill Dam History|access-date=March 7, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110707214856/http://www.bbdvc.com/Buffalo_Bill_Dam_History.php|archive-date=July 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>