The Wild West Shows of the late 1800s and early 1900s gave young ranch women an opportunity to sharpen their horsemanship, roping and shooting skills by working fulltime in these performances. Wild West shows sometimes traveled the country, even going to Europe on occasion.

The sculpture is titled “Buffalo Gals”, which was the moniker given to these performing women in those days. The title is plural since the woman’s dog, who could have been a part of her owner’s act in the Wild West performances, was always by the cowgirl’s side.