30

in half dollars, and he got fiftly of them. He tied them up in his little handkerchief, and when he got home he untied the handkerchief and spread it all over the table." (Laughter.)

Colonel Cody-"I have been spreading it ever since."

Mr. Majors-"And he is still spreading it. Now, gentlemen, this is an occasion when a man does not want to hold people long. I could say so much to you on any other occasion, when there are not tens of thousands of people waiting and anxious to see the wind-up of this thing.

"This occasion can never happen on this globe again. The same number of people and the same conditions and circumstances never will occur here on earth again. This is the biggest thing I ever saw, and I was at the World's Fair, and I have been at the expositions in London, in Edinburgh, Scotland and in New York. Bless your precious life, Colonel Cody." (Applause.)

SENATOR THURSTON'S ELOQUENT TRIBUTE.

The closing address of welcome was amde by Senator Thurston, who said: "Colonel Cody, My Fellow Citizens: I will only attempt to add another welcome to our friend, Colonel Cody, and I will make it in language as simple as our welcome is sincere. Colonel Cody, this i your day. (Applause.) Thi i your exposition. (Applause.) This is your city (Applause,) and we all rejoice that Nebraska is your State. (Great applause.) You have carried the fame of our country and of our State all over the civilized world; you have been received and honored by Princes, by Emperors and by Kings; and, Cody, jthe titled women of the courts of the nations of the world have been captivated by you charm of manner and your splendid manhood. (Cries of "Good!" "Good!") (Applause.) You are known wherever you go, abroad and in the United States, as Colonel Cody, the best representative of the great and progressive West. But here you have a better title. It is one that has grown up in the hears of your fellow citizens, and the title we give you is 'Our Bill.' (Prolonged applause.) You stand here to-day in the midst of a wonderful assembly. Here are representatives of the heroic and daring characters of most of the nations of the world; you are entitled to this honor, and especially entitled to it here. This people know you as a man who has carried this demonstration of yours at home and abroad; you have not been a showman in the common snese of the word; you have been a grand national and international educator of men. (Applause.) You have furnished a demonstration of the possibilities of your won country that has advanced us in the opinion of the world. But we who are here with you for a third, or more than a third, of a century, we remember you more dearly and tenderly than the others do, for we remember that when these representatives of the aborigines were attempting to hold their own against the onward tide of civilization, the settler and the hardy pioneer, the women and the children, always felt safe whenever Cody rode along the frontier, and he was their protector and defender. (Great aplause.) Cody, this is your home. You live in the hearts of the people of our State. God bless you, and keep you, and prosper you in your splendid work."

COLONEL CODY'S RESPONSE.

Another hurricane burst of cheers greeted Colonel Cody as he advanced to the front of the platform to reply to these felicitations, and he was so deeply moved that at first his voice well nigh failed him. As soon as he could regain composture he said:

"You cannot expect me to make adequate response for the honor which you have bestowed upon me to-day. You have overwhelmed my speaking faculties, for I cannot corral enough ideas to even attempt a coherent reply to the honors which you have accorded me.

Image caption first page:
"JOHNNY BURKE NO NECK."
Found on the Battlefield of Wounded Knee after the annihilation of Big Foot's band.

"How little I dreamed in the long ago that the lonely path of the scout and the ponyexpress rider would lead me to the place to which you have assigned me to-day. And here, near the banks of the mighty Missouri, which flows onward to the sea, my thoughts revert to the early days of my manhood, when I looked across this rushing tide toward the East, to the Atlantic, where then I supposed that all men were rich and all women happy. My friends, that day has come and gone, and I stand among you a witness that nowhere in the broad univers are men richer in manly integrity and women happier in their domestic kingdom than in our own Nebraska, (Great applause.)

"I have sought fortune in many lands, but wherever i have wandered that flag of our beloved State has been unfurled to every breeze. From the Platte to the Danube, from the Tiber to the Clyde, the emblem of our sovereign State has always floated over the Wild West. (Applause.) Time goes on and brings with it new duties and responsibilities, but we old men, we men who are called 'old-timers,' cannot forget the trials and tribulations that we had to encounter while paving the path for civilization and national prosperity.

"The whistle of the locomotive has drowned the howl of the coyote, the barb-wire fence has narrowed the range of the cow-puncher, but no material evidence of prosperity can obliterate our contribution to Nebraska's imperial progress. (Applause.)

"Gentlemen of the Directory, I will not assume to comment upon what you have done to make this exposition the peer of all that have gone before. For abler testimony than I can offer has sped on electric wings to the uttermost parts of the earth that what you have done in the interests of Nebraska has been well done. (Applause.)

"Through your kindness to-day I have tasted the sweetest fruit that grows on ambition's tree, and if you will extend that kindness and let me fall back into the ranks, those rear ranks, as a high private in those ranks, that will be honor enough for me. (Applause.)

"Now, will you extend that kindness and let me call upon the Wild West, the Congress of Rough Riders of the World, to voice their appreciation for the kindness that you have extended to them to day?"

At the signal of Colonel Cody the Wild West then gave three ringing cheers for Nebraska and the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. Their band followed with "The Red, White and Blue," and at the last note of the melody the McCook band played the "Star Spangled Banner," and the Wild West fell into line for the parade through the grounds, headed by Colonel Cody, mounted upon the splendid chestnut horse, Duke, presented to him by General Miles soon after the battle of Wounded Knee. At the Administration Arch the cavalcade was reviewed by the members of the Executive Committee of the Exposition.

1890-1902

THE WAVE OF PROGRESS AT THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ROCKIES.

AN OLD SEA-THE BIG HORN BASIN.

Ages ago in the North-West corner of the State of Wyoming there was an inland sea, where now there is really a valley, but which, on account of its being completely encircled by four mountain ranges, has been aptly termed "a basin."

From its past and even present fame as a game country and the prominence of that King of the Cliffs, the "Big Horn Sheep," it has been known to the explorer, the trapper, the hunter, the geologist, the historian, the geographer and the mapmaker, as the BIG HORN BASIN. This valley on account of its inaccessibility, remained until a few years ago in its

Image caption second page:
1890-INDIAN TEPEE.

1892-RANCHER'S DUG-OUT.

in half dollars, and he got fiftly of them. He tied them up in his little handkerchief, and when he got home he untied the handkerchief and spread it all over the table." (Laughter.)

Colonel Cody-"I have been spreading it ever since."

Mr. Majors-"And he is still spreading it. Now, gentlemen, this is an occasion when a man does not want to hold people long. I could say so much to you on any other occasion, when there are not tens of thousands of people waiting and anxious to see the wind-up of this thing.

"This occasion can never happen on this globe again. The same number of people and the same conditions and circumstances never will occur here on earth again. This is the biggest thing I ever saw, and I was at the World's Fair, and I have been at the expositions in London, in Edinburgh, Scotland and in New York. Bless your precious life, Colonel Cody." (Applause.)

SENATOR THURSTON'S ELOQUENT TRIBUTE.

The closing address of welcome was amde by Senator Thurston, who said: "Colonel Cody, My Fellow Citizens: I will only attempt to add another welcome to our friend, Colonel Cody, and I will make it in language as simple as our welcome is sincere. Colonel Cody, this i your day. (Applause.) Thi i your exposition. (Applause.) This is your city (Applause,) and we all rejoice that Nebraska is your State. (Great applause.) You have carried the fame of our country and of our State all over the civilized world; you have been received and honored by Princes, by Emperors and by Kings; and, Cody, jthe titled women of the courts of the nations of the world have been captivated by you charm of manner and your splendid manhood. (Cries of "Good!" "Good!") (Applause.) You are known wherever you go, abroad and in the United States, as Colonel Cody, the best representative of the great and progressive West. But here you have a better title. It is one that has grown up in the hears of your fellow citizens, and the title we give you is 'Our Bill.' (Prolonged applause.) You stand here to-day in the midst of a wonderful assembly. Here are representatives of the heroic and daring characters of most of the nations of the world; you are entitled to this honor, and especially entitled to it here. This people know you as a man who has carried this demonstration of yours at home and abroad; you have not been a showman in the common snese of the word; you have been a grand national and international educator of men. (Applause.) You have furnished a demonstration of the possibilities of your won country that has advanced us in the opinion of the world. But we who are here with you for a third, or more than a third, of a century, we remember you more dearly and tenderly than the others do, for we remember that when these representatives of the aborigines were attempting to hold their own against the onward tide of civilization, the settler and the hardy pioneer, the women and the children, always felt safe whenever Cody rode along the frontier, and he was their protector and defender. (Great aplause.) Cody, this is your home. You live in the hearts of the people of our State. God bless you, and keep you, and prosper you in your splendid work."

COLONEL CODY'S RESPONSE.

Another hurricane burst of cheers greeted Colonel Cody as he advanced to the front of the platform to reply to these felicitations, and he was so deeply moved that at first his voice well nigh failed him. As soon as he could regain composture he said:

"You cannot expect me to make adequate response for the honor which you have bestowed upon me to-day. You have overwhelmed my speaking faculties, for I cannot corral enough ideas to even attempt a coherent reply to the honors which you have accorded me.

Image caption first page:
"JOHNNY BURKE NO NECK."
Found on the Battlefield of Wounded Knee after the annihilation of Big Foot's band.

"How little I dreamed in the long ago that the lonely path of the scout and the ponyexpress rider would lead me to the place to which you have assigned me to-day. And here, near the banks of the mighty Missouri, which flows onward to the sea, my thoughts revert to the early days of my manhood, when I looked across this rushing tide toward the East, to the Atlantic, where then I supposed that all men were rich and all women happy. My friends, that day has come and gone, and I stand among you a witness that nowhere in the broad univers are men richer in manly integrity and women happier in their domestic kingdom than in our own Nebraska, (Great applause.)

"I have sought fortune in many lands, but wherever i have wandered that flag of our beloved State has been unfurled to every breeze. From the Platte to the Danube, from the Tiber to the Clyde, the emblem of our sovereign State has always floated over the Wild West. (Applause.) Time goes on and brings with it new duties and responsibilities, but we old men, we men who are called 'old-timers,' cannot forget the trials and tribulations that we had to encounter while paving the path for civilization and national prosperity.

"The whistle of the locomotive has drowned the howl of the coyote, the barb-wire fence has narrowed the range of the cow-puncher, but no material evidence of prosperity can obliterate our contribution to Nebraska's imperial progress. (Applause.)

"Gentlemen of the Directory, I will not assume to comment upon what you have done to make this exposition the peer of all that have gone before. For abler testimony than I can offer has sped on electric wings to the uttermost parts of the earth that what you have done in the interests of Nebraska has been well done. (Applause.)

"Through your kindness to-day I have tasted the sweetest fruit that grows on ambition's tree, and if you will extend that kindness and let me fall back into the ranks, those rear ranks, as a high private in those ranks, that will be honor enough for me. (Applause.)

"Now, will you extend that kindness and let me call upon the Wild West, the Congress of Rough Riders of the World, to voice their appreciation for the kindness that you have extended to them to day?"

At the signal of Colonel Cody the Wild West then gave three ringing cheers for Nebraska and the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. Their band followed with "The Red, White and Blue," and at the last note of the melody the McCook band played the "Star Spangled Banner," and the Wild West fell into line for the parade through the grounds, headed by Colonel Cody, mounted upon the splendid chestnut horse, Duke, presented to him by General Miles soon after the battle of Wounded Knee. At the Administration Arch the cavalcade was reviewed by the members of the Executive Committee of the Exposition.

1890-1902

THE WAVE OF PROGRESS AT THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ROCKIES.

AN OLD SEA-THE BIG HORN BASIN.

Ages ago in the North-West corner of the State of Wyoming there was an inland sea, where now there is really a valley, but which, on account of its being completely encircled by four mountain ranges, has been aptly termed "a basin."

From its past and even present fame as a game country and the prominence of that King of the Cliffs, the "Big Horn Sheep," it has been known to the explorer, the trapper, the hunter, the geologist, the historian, the geographer and the mapmaker, as the BIG HORN BASIN. This valley on account of its inaccessibility, remained until a few years ago in its

Image caption second page:
1890-INDIAN TEPEE.

1892-RANCHER'S DUG-OUT.