Call NumberNS-119Datecirca 1886SummaryJohn Y. Nelson, a member of the cast of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, stands leaning against a tree behind his Sioux wife and their five children. The group is gathered in front of a teepee in a camp for the show at Erastina in Staten Island, New York. One of the children stands on a rope tied to the tree and his head is out of the frame. The smallest child lies on a blanket on the ground in the foreground. Nelson has a full gray beard and long hair. Nelson guided Brigham Young to Utah in 1847 and was a scout with William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody at Fort McPherson in 1869. He acted as interpreter in some of the Wild West Shows and also served as a stagecoach driver and cowboy in some of the acts. Nelson played the settler in the "Attack on a Settler's Cabin" act in which the settlers are saved by Cody. Nelson and his Sioux family were presented to Queen Victoria while the show toured in England in 1887.Physical Description1 copy photonegative ; 12 x 16 cm (4 3/4 x 6 1/4 in.); 1 photoprint : black and white ; 16 x 21 cm (6 1/4 x 8 1/4 in.) on mat 18 x 23 cm (7 x 9 in.)Born-Digital or AnalogAnalogSubjectNelson, John Young, 1826-1903--FamilyWild west showsBuffalo Bill, 1846-1917Nelson, John Young, 1826-1903Buffalo Bill's Wild West ShowCollectionPhotographs - Western HistoryRelated MaterialImage File: ZZR700105119Type of MaterialFilm negativesPhotographic printsPortrait photographsOriginal Material Found in CollectionSalsbury collection, Buffalo Bill's Wild West ShowNotes"Buffalo Bill's Wild West typed on photoprint." "John Nelson, Squaw man and family Given by the family of Nate Salsbury, from his collection, in 1938" and "1886 Erastina St. I." handwritten on back of photoprint. Image also identified as "F9610." Title supplied by cataloger. Vintage photographic print. R7001051193
John Nelson and family (circa 1886). Denver Public Library Digital Collections, accessed 16/07/2025, https://digital.denverlibrary.org/nodes/view/1124207
