A New Yorker, she persuaded heiress and artist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to sculpt the piece.

Her first efforts attracted criticism for the type of horse, its pose, and its tack, all of which were regarded as too "eastern.

[3] The statue was dedicated on July 4, 1924 in the presence of an unusual number of dignitaries for such a remote location.

It stands on a large stone base, meant to represent nearby Cedar Mountain, which Cody chose as his gravesite.

The base is a consciously ironic statement, since Cody was buried, against his wishes, at Lookout Mountain in Colorado.