The Northern Wyoming Herald Archive

The Cody Enterprise was founded under the dual ownership of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and Colonel John Peake in August of 1899. In the letter to the editor printed on January 6, 1910, Cody's sister wrote that they believed that Peake, a native of Washington D.C., was the perfect man to "boost a sagebrush wilderness into the metropolis of Wyoming." Peake and Cody accomplished this by focusing on the state of Wyoming for its unique natural landscape; the Enterprise promoted the beauty of Yellowstone National Park to attract more businesses, advertise the travel industry, and remind citizens in the growing town of Cody of the magnificent surrounding scenery.

Beginning in October of 1903, the Enterprise went from publishing four pages to eight. The cause of this change is explained in an article later in December of the same year; because the paper began publishing when only 15 people lived in the unincorporated town of Cody, more space was needed for the news in the growing town. Its first tagline was, "If it is news it will be in the Enterprise." In 1923, the tagline became, "the policy of this paper is to uphold the standards and perpetuate the spirit of the Old West." The paper had dedicated sections on ranching, farming, and cattle ventures.

When the Enterprise began publishing, the town of Cody was part of Big Horn County. Due to the state's growing population, it became part of Park County in 1909 and was made its county seat. In 1910, the Park County Enterprise began publishing and claimed on its first page to be the "successor to the Cody Enterprise and Stockgrower and Farmer." In 1921 the two Enterprises were combined and published under the title The Cody Enterprise and the Park County Enterprise. In 1923, it became The Cody Enterprise again, proclaiming itself the "official paper of Park County and the town of Cody." In 1926 the Park County Herald, previously the Northern Wyoming Herald and Garland Irrigation Era then The Northern Wyoming Herald, was brought in to become the Cody Enterprise and the Park County Herald. In 1928, The Cody Enterprise was settled on as the final publication name. Today, The Cody Enterprise publishes twice weekly and dedicates much of its material to the thriving tourism industry and local happenings.