Only a few people knew who William F. Cody was before becoming known as Buffalo Bill Cody. At a young age he tried his luck as a prospector in the Pikes Peak gold rush, and also later served in the American Civil War in 1867. Soon after, the transcontinental railroad was being built and at first the buffalo were killed only for food to feed the workers that help build the railroad. Later on, killing buffalo became a sport for many vacationers, who killed buffalo from the train windows. Cody became a professional buffalo hunter and earned his nickname “Buffalo Bill Cody” by killing 4,280 buffalo in just 18 months. In 1885, millions of buffalo called the Great Plains their home, but in 1886 only a few hundred have lived since buffalo hunting