New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-06-14
AN OVERLAND JOURNEY
VII.
THE HOME OF THE BUFFALO.
Station II, Pixies Peak Express, I
CLEAR CREEK, May %, 1859.

xt Station t-lDc Storm, WHICH n1o 'uo" '"'N'
90 d since dark just bursting in wiod and ram
Ire wind was gale, but Up-e, neither teHl' n''
wagons; the rain FIJI for about an honr' 'Heu
ees.ed, though little IN IRE fell this morning M"
ne have hsd thunder and ligbnog al ihleNNS
s.,,,b III. dnv and have IT still, threatening show
,atrs dsap. We rose early from one wagon
"A ,hs u,rniog. mad breakfast at 6, aod som babe
.lben 20 Pipe Creek, with its frioge OF 10" e'ms
80 eot,onwoods, such as thiply streak all the
streams we haze passed ediy that are large
enough 10 protect timber from prairie-hses.
VERY scon. we we're of the sandstone upon lime
stoce again. which HIS been the Only rock VISIBLE
T., ID. lat forty miles, aud this but sparDg'y.
II soil is OF course improved but toiok n''
eoq,l TO that Of Eastern Kansas The face OF tho
81. TRY is slightly rolling one plsce level
re rie eleven miles wide-but even this Is cut, and
xsshed out by shallow water courses, probAoy
dry a good part Of each Summer we haye
crossed many s.resms today, al mahios
soath for Solomon's Fork, which has thronghou
Ken from two 10 SIX miles from us on our ef', its
psrrow belt oe timber constantly sending outlonger
or shorter spurs up the creeks which iced IL on
III, er side. The Ion.e has been from % 10 2oV
Eae above the bed of the Fork keeping ont OF all
bo.,ms and marshes, but continually cue by water
oyuises, often with abrupt banks and mlfy oeds' In
one OF which only we're We stalled uotit al extra
s>sn II mules was sent from the other wagon 10
ess aid. (The Express wagons always 90 in pairs
sur reciprocal md aud security pressure nj Tue
timber we bave passed Though since we lew toe
Republican at JUNCTION, (and we are noV III miles
from il By our route, and perhaps 100 in straight
hse, would not form belt bali Uhe wide, Win
but a few white oaks to render 1t OF any vaue ex-
cert for fuel low, loDg-limoed, twlsty LID,
,,e,,s tbree-fourths Of all the wood We have seen
H. side of JUNCTION; the residue is mainly Cotton
wo4d The streams are usually clear, except where
ri,ed by recent showers and springs are not iufre
Fsuspt. If well tiwbered, this country would be
rather inviting 1t is largely covered with the dead
stalks of the wild sunaoaer which Is SAID 10 iud-
cate a COED soil for Corn. The sunilower plant As
net started this season.
--On rising eur first ridge this morning, herd
Of Buffalo was seen grazing on the prairie some
three miles toward the Solomon; soon more were
yiible; then others. At length, herd Of perhapsa
hundred appeared on the north-the only one We saw
on that side of our road during the day. They were
beading down the valley Of a small creek toward
the Solomon. Just then, the tents and wagons OF a
body of encamped Pixies Peakers appeared Just
across that stream; two men running across the
prairie on foot TO get shot at the buffalo, another
mounting horse with like intent. The herd passed
81 r.rih Of tha mn nd
struck southwest across our road some forty rods
ahead of U.S. Sbarp's rifle was leveled and fired
at them by one of our party, but seemed rather TO
hasten than arrest their progress. But one old bull
shambled along behind in knock-kneed fashion
(baving probably been famed by some former par
ty); and he was fired at twice by our marksmen as
he attempted - cross the road--oncc when only
fifteen rods distant. They thought they wounded
him fatally, but he vanished from our sight behind
a low hill, and their hasty search for hun proved
unsuccessful
Nearly all day, the Buffalo in greater Orless num-
beers were visible among tine bottoms of Solomon on
our right-usually two to three miles distant. At
length, about p. NJ, We reached the crest OF a
divide" whence We looked down on the valley
of creek running to the Solomon some three
miles distant, and saw the whole region from half
mile 10 three miles south Of our road, and for an
extent of at least four miles east and west fairly
alive with Buffalo. There certainly were not less
than ten thousand of them; believe there were
many more. Some we're feeding, others lying
down, others paving up the earth, rolling on it,
&c. The novel spectacle was too tempting for our
sportsmen. The wagons were stopped, and two
men walked quietly toward the center of the front
Of the herd. Favored by watsrcourse, they crept
no to within fifty rods of the Buffalo, and fired
eight or ten shots into the herd with no visible
effect. The animals nearest the hunters reiterated
Is they advanced, but the great body of the herd
was no more disturbed or conscious of danger than
IL a couple of mosquitoes had aghted smong tnem.
After an hour of this fruitless effort, the hunters
gave IL up alleging that their rifle was 81 foul and
badly sighted as to be worthless. They rejoinei us
and we came away, leaving nine tenths of the vast
herd exactly where We found them. And there
they doubtless are sleeping at this moment, about
three miles from u.s.
We are near the heart of the Buffalo region
The stages from the West chat met us here this
evening report the sight Of millions within the last
two days. Their traas chequer the prairie in every
direction. A company of Pixies Peakers killed
thirteen near this point few days since. Eight
were killed yesterday at the next station west of
this by simply stampediug herd and driving them
over a high crcek-bank, where so many broke
their necSs Bufiao-meat is hanging OF lying all |
around us, and cali two or three months old is
tied to stake just beside our wagons. He was
taken by rushing a herd up a steep creek-bank; |