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Buffalo Bill Museum

  1. Iowa
  2. Iowa Museum
  3. Lowa Museum

Reviews, get directions and contact details for Buffalo Bill Museum

About

Tour groups can be accommodated outside of normal business hours, upon request.

Story

The museum houses Buffalo Bill memorabilia, the wood-hulled steamboat "Lone Star" (the last working one of its kind on the Mississippi River; listed on the National Historic Register), riverboat pilot exhibits, Sauk and Fox tribe artifacts, and displays of pioneer life from the region. It also featues exhibits on two "famous sons" - - James Eads, the world famous engineer of the Eads Bridge in St.Louis, MO; and James Ryan, the inventor of the Flight Data Recorder or the "black box."

Address: 199 N Front St, Le Claire, IA 52753, USA
Phone: (563) 289-5580
moc.erialcelmuesumllibolaffub@tcatnoc
State: Iowa
City: Le Claire
Zip Code: 52753


Opening Hours

Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 – 4:00 PM

Update Info
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Reviews
It's amazing how many different themes the exhibits portray. Of course there are many artifacts, photos, and displays about native son Buffalo Bill Cody's life, including firearms used during that period. Because his life included such things as the Civil war, Army Scout during the westward expansion of the US, buffalo hunter, and his Wild West show, all of these things are covered. But LeClaire, Iowa and nearby areas were originally home to Native Americans. Their history and lives are also covered. These include the United State' 1832 war with Chief Black Hawk of the Sac Indian tribe, which included battles in the area. LeClaire was also home to generations of Mississippi River boat pilots and boat builders during the era of the steam boat. Many exhibits deal with this history, and the highlight is the display of the actual steam-powered Lone Star riverboat, which was built in 1890 and worked in the area until the 1960s. The boat is enclosed within the building to preserve it and allow viewing it year round. You can tour the boat and see mechanical components such as boilers, engines, pumps, etc, as well as the pilot house and crew's quarters. Other displays include pioneer and rural farm life, early industrial and commercial history of the area, weapons and uniforms of wars (including the Civil War, WWI, WWII), women's clothing from the early 1900s, and aircraft 'black box' flight recorders and automobile safety features invented by native son and engineer James Ryan Jr. The museum also has an archive section for research into many of the topics on display. It really is unusual to find such a fine museum in a small town, and thousands of people visit it each year.
8 years ago (25-02-2018)
A nice museum. Staffed by older women who seemed more interested in their knitting. But the history exhibit is pretty cool. And the restored boat was really neat. Spent about 2 hours there. Lots to read. Easy parking right there. I imagine it would be a good place to take kids because there is a fairly large about of visual displays too.
9 years ago (28-11-2017)
It was Buffalo Bills birthday and we were able to join the celebration and had free admission for the occasion. Great visit!!
8 years ago (05-03-2018)
A great place for your kids to eat complementary leaded paint chips. Puts Flint Michigan to shame. Good exhibits ALOT of information. 2 hours wasn’t enough to take it all in.
9 years ago (13-01-2018)
A lot of reading, so not geared towards kids. We spent just over two hours there and were content. Completely worth the cost just to see the riverboat.
9 years ago (06-01-2018)
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