Billxpress Soft

[Cecelia Seiner]

Thisis the third in a series of of posts highlighting some of the fascinating stories from the historical Staten Island newspapers now being digitized and uploaded to the web. Find out more about this project at www.nypl.org/sinewspapers.

William F. Cody's Buffalo Bill's Wild West was an international sensation across the U.S. and Europe. In 1886 and 1888, it landed on Staten Island. In 1886, the Wild West came to the Mariners' Harbor and 1 to 2 million from the New York Metropolitan area followed. That's about one half to ALL of the NYC metropolitan area population at the time. The modern equivalent would be about 10 to 20 million people. This is the story of those shows, how they changed Staten Island, and how they helped save the endangered buffalo from extinction.

The story starts with local entrepreneur Erastus Wiman (left). He was a partner in the Wall Street investment firm Dun and Wiman and head of the Staten Island ferry and railroad companies. One day in 1885, Wiman had a somewhat scruffy looking visitor arrive unannounced at his Staten Island office. It was John Burke, general manager of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Co. Burke introduced himself:

"I have been sent on to discover what are the chances for an alliance with the new Rapid Transit movement on Staten Island" said Burke, " and I want to secure your influence and energy in promoting our show at some good point on Staten Island."

Wiman took Burke in a carriage out to Mariners' Harbor, then undeveloped woods, and the two agreed to build out facilities for the Wild West show using Wiman's expanding railroad and ferry services. According to Wiman, it was Cody aka Buffalo Bill who named the Mariners' Harbor location "Erastina."

The grounds at Erastina were Wiman's second major tourist attraction on Staten Island. At the St. George end of his railroad Wiman, built a baseball stadium for his American Association team, the New York Metropolitans (namesakes of today's N.Y. Mets), along with a complex of gardens, restaurants, and other entertainment. The map above shows the North Shore Railroad, aka "The Buffalo Bill Express," had not only reached Erastina but extended beyond it by 1889.

The "Buffalo Bill Express" ran four miles along Staten Island's North Shore, connecting Wiman's attractions at St. George and Erastina beginning in 1886. (Source: The collections of Historic Richmond Town.)

What follows are newspaper accounts of the show at Erastina written with the humor (and typical stereotyping) which one might expect when Staten Island's "Mild Easters" met Buffalo Bill's "Wild Westers." First, members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Co. had to set up their amusement park. Then, Buffalo Bill's enjoyed a grand opening in Erastina.

Under the supervision of Col. Bowsenwein, the grounds of the Amusement Co. at Mariners' Harbor, which a short time ago were little more than a swampy marsh, covered with scrub and mosquitoes, have assumed a very respectable appearance. Trees have been felled where necessary, low places filled in, a perfect system of drainage completed, and the dreaded mosquito can no longer claim the ground as his birthplace. Water has been introduced; electric lights will soon be ready; two miles of fence have been built; two immense stands with a seating capacity of 10,000 are about completed; a restaurant building 40 x 100 feet is nearly finished; stable and other necessary buildings will be erected. The race-track will soon be in good condition and ready for the great "Wild West." The change that has been made is wonderful and the short time that has been consumed reflects great credit upon Col. Bowsenwein and his assistants.

The "Wild West" combination comprises over 200 horses, a large herd of wild cattle, 100 Indians (Sioux, Arrapahoes, and Comanches), 40 cow-boys, pony express-riders, scouts, men of the plain, and Mexican herders. Besides these, there is Buffalo Bill himself, a lot of noted Indian chiefs, among them being Dumont, the Canadian rebel, and several famous marksmen of both sexes. The show will arrive here on the 23d inst., and the grounds will be opened to the public on Monday, 28th.

For the first time in nearly 1,900 years Mariners' Harbor was on Wednesday night brilliantly illuminated by the electric lights of the Staten Island Amusement Company at Erastina. Another surprise was in store for the staid and quiet citizens of the quiet village. About 4 o'clock on Thursday morning the place was invaded by a band of wild Indians accompanied by the great cow-boys. Great alarm and excitement was manifested by the inhabitants until, after a thorough investigation it was ascertained that no cause for such alarm existed, as the savages were part of the great "Wild West" exhibition and who quietly were landing from the steamer Kill Van Kull, who without taking a single scalp or giving the dreaded war-whoop, betook themselves to the prepared quarters within the Amusement Grounds. Our reporter met one lady who said that she would not now dare to go out of doors after dark, and that she would procure extra bolts and locks for her house, for fear these "wild injuns" would tomahawk her. Her fears were quieted, however, and the storekeeper lost the sale of a lot of hardware."

Wild Westers at Erastina, Mariners' Harbor, Staten Island. William Levi "Buck" Taylor, "The King of the Cowboys," center. (Source: McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Center of the West)

About 20,000 persons attended the opening exhibition of the Buffalo Bill's Wild West Combination, on the new grounds at Erastina yesterday afternoon. The programme consisted of some of the most daring feats on record, and was carried out in such a manner as to elicit round after round of applause. The whole performance was so grand and exciting that it is impossible to describe it. The audience was one of the most respectable that has ever attended an exhibition in this county. The season begins on Monday, 28th.

The invaders had come up from their camp on Staten Island in unromantic ferryboats instead of birch canoes, and landing at Twenty-third street and proceeding to Forty-second street, swept down the length of Manhattan Island to the Battery, a lurid line of copper-colored complexions and long-haired ponies. It was the Wild West showing the mild East what glories there are in life pure and simple. Men held onto their scalps, ladies blushed because the Indians were painted clear down to their waists, the small boy yearned to follow the tomahawk and car drivers swore.

At the head rode "Buffalo Bill," and for the time he owned the town. At least, he looked so. Then came cowboys in woolen shirts and a general trimming of revolvers, Mexicans with broad brimmed sombreros and fringe down their trousers, and Indians carrying spears and looking very bloodthirsty. In the procession were buffalo, dogs and an Italian with a monkey and a hand organ, who got in there by mistake. Then there were canoes, the Deadwood mail coach, the pony express and other western historical bric-a-brac. The long procession passed by, floated away to its island home and the city was left unscalped and unburned.

Before long, Erastina was hosting two shows daily at 3 and 8PM. The stands held 20,000 people, and the company boasted it had "night made day by 100 electric lights." The regular Staten Island Ferry was not enough to handle the crowds. Additional steamers were put in service directly from Erastina: the John Sylvester and Thomas A. Morgan to Manhattan, the Florence to Brooklyn , the Sylvan Glen to Long Island City, the Thomas P. Way and Magenta to Newark, and the Pinto to Elizabethport.

. . . train after train packed full of sweltering humanity [arrived at Erastina]. The stream poured in over the new platform between the clean, high fences, and pretty soon the two big stands were black . . . On three sides were rolling hills clothed in fresh greenness and walled with dark woods. In front was the shimmer of the sea. There are fifty acres in the grounds devoted to the exhibition arena and the camp. Everything is on a big scale. The arena is like a monster circus ring. Around it the long rows of seats rise high one above another. Gleaming in a grove at one side are the white tents of the Indians, painted over with fantastic designs.

On Sunday morning last, Sergeant [Gilbert] Bates, the great U. S. World Flag carrier, [who had carried the American flag on a walking tour throughout the South following the Civil War, and later England, to demonstrate that the people of the world welcomed the stars and stripes, despite their political differences] attended the morning service at the Mariners' Harbor Baptist Church, with a body of Indians from the Wild West Show. In the evening, Hon W. F. Cody, with some thirty-five braves, attended the same church. At the conclusion of the sermon, he [Cody] recited in fine style a beautiful poem, and the Indians sang in their native tongue: "Nearer my God to Thee." Buffalo Bill gave us a donation in the sum of $35 towards extinguishing church debt. This pious investment is expected to pay a dividend tomorrow afternoon and evening when the Indians will pass the hat at the services to be held by them in the park.

On special invitation, Hon. W. F. Cody with a number of his braves, squaws, vaqueros, and cow-boys on the steamboat Florence yesterday visited the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where they were shown the different works and machine shops and the any matters of interest which are there to be found. The party returned to the Wild West, Erastina, in the U. S. Cutter Nina, well pleased with the trip . . .

The advent of the Wild West combination at Mariners' Harbor have opened up that hitherto almost unknown section of our beautiful Island to the great public, the result of which is already, and will be in the future, an increased demand for real estate and building lots.

Eight car-loads of happy children from the public schools of West New Brighton and Castleton Corners were at the Wild West show on Thursday afternoon accompanied by School Commissioner Frean and the trustees and teachers of the schools. Yesterday the school children of Northfield, in large numbers, spent the afternoon viewing the exhibition, and were pleased and delighted beyond description. On their return the war whoop could be heard in every street and on every block on of the village of Port Richmond.

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