Nathan Salsbury, son of Nathan and Rebecca Welch Salsbury, was born in Freeport, Illinois. Left an orphan, and he lived with his stepfather, Jedutha Fuller. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the ranks of the Union Army. He served in the 89th and 59th Illinois regiments in the Army of the Cumberland and was wounded three times. After discharge, Salsbury became an actor and wrote several plays, including “Patchwork” and “On the Trail, or, Money and Misery.” In 1875 he organized Salsbury’s Troubadours, a successful acting company, and in 1884 joined Buffalo Bill as co-owner of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

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Salsbury married Rachel Samuels, a young actress, in 1887. The couple had four children, one of whom was Rebecca Salsbury James who became a famous artist. Nate stated that when he wrote his book on Cody, its title was going to be “Sixteen Years in Hell with Buffalo Bill.” Cody was, in his opinion, a dishonest drunkard whose only loyalty was to his incompetent cronies. He discussed Buffalo Bill’s drinking problem several times throughout various correspondence.

In Cody’s first letter to Salsbury, probably written in 1884, he vowed that “after this, you will never see me under the influence of liquor,” although he added, “I may have to take two or three drinks today to brace up.” In a 1907 letter to Rachel Salsbury, Jack Crawford asserted that Buffalo Bill was “not a Square dealer” and that “Ned Buntline created the most selfish and brutal faker…ever perpetrated on the American People.” Nate Salsbury, who had lasted 16 years with Cody, died on December 24, 1902, in Long Branch, New Jersey.

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(The Nate Salsbury room is a suite that features 1 Queen Size bed, a single lavatory, & tub with a hand shower.  All rooms have wired and wireless internet & individual heat/ac.-Facing South towards the Mountains)