Cody, town in northwestern Wyoming, seat of Park County, about 80 km (about 50 mi) east of Yellowstone Park. Cody is located 1529 m (5018 ft) above sea level in a region of ranches and irrigated farmland. In 1901 guide and scout Buffalo Bill, whose full name was William Frederick Cody, founded the town, and it was incorporated in the same year. Local sites of historic interest include artifacts and other remains of Yuma culture, dating back more than 7000 years, and Colter's Hell, discovered by John Colter of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, in which several cones of an extinct geyser basin are discernible. Also in Cody are the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which contains Native American relics and Buffalo Bill's personal effects, and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, devoted to works depicting the Old West by 19th-century artists. The annual Cody Stampede developed from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Population (1990) 7,897; (2000) 8,835.
