Final answer:
William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody earned his nickname by supplying buffalo meat to railroad workers. His efforts helped feed crews building the transcontinental railroad, leading to his well-known moniker. His influence persisted as he later became a famous showman with his Wild West shows.
Step-by-step explanation:
The person who earned his nickname by supplying buffalo meat to the workers building the transcontinental railroad across the plains was William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Cody was a cowboy, military scout, and later a showman who started off by supplying buffalo meat to the railroad workers. This endeavor earned him the iconic nickname Buffalo Bill. As the railroads advanced, they enabled the cattle industry to flourish, transforming places like Abilene into bustling cities thanks to cattlemen such as Joseph G. McCoy who capitalized on this opportunity.
The booming cattle industry was closely tied with the distribution of meat through the advent of large meatpacking plants and the decline of local butchers. Innovations by businessmen like Gustavus Swift and Philip Armour led to the rise of massive meatpacking plants located closer to Midwestern cattle supplies, significantly altering the economics of the meat industry.
However, this growth came with a cost. The extermination of buffalo herds and the subsequent negative impact on native tribes who depended on the bison was a dark consequence of the push towards a national market economy supported by the railroad expansion.