Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-08-28
MISSOURI RIVER BUFFALO.
Thc Countless Herds which Once
1sOved Over the Montana Plains.


Dan Scott in the Sioux City Journal.
Sioux Falls, Aug. 26-The st. Paul
Pioneer Press prints the following:
Soon the American bison will rank
with the ichthy yosaurus and the dodo
This seasons shipment of robes from
Wolf Point, Poplar River and Berthold
"a few years ago sources of immense
supply-conslsted OF one bale, in which
were three and half full robes, two
splits and four calf skins.
The above brief reference to the deca-
dence of once important source of rev.
enue to the dwellers along the upper
Missouri in Dakota and throughout
the eastern and northwestern sections
OF Montana, will serve to awaken end
less trains of "reminiscences in the
minds OF the old times in the regions
mentioned. Ten to fifteen years ago
buffalo robes were the one great element
Of commercial wealth il the upper Mis-.
souri, country. That was the flush and
rush season in the. history of that region,
and grand old days they were, too. Fort
benton, at the head OF navigation, was
| the Mecca of the robe hunters and deal.
ers There all the buyers gathered and
there ninety nine per cent. OF all the
robes taken were marketed-aggrega.
ting annually into the millions.
The numerical strength of the thou
sands of herds OF buffalo which roamed
the country designated during the years
between lo7O-75, was SO great that even
conservative estimate at this day will
be received by the tendeEfeet readers of
the journal as senseless exagger.
alton. 1 have frequently refrained from
estimating the number Of buffalo seen
IN one body on the upper Missouri
within the limits of the years named
IN this paragraph, simply to preserve my
reputation as reliable chronicler of cur
rent history. The fate of Horace Gree
ley has ever been present in my minc
when the subject of buffalo was the
topic OF discussion and has always here
tofore rendered me timid in relating my
buffalo experience. For naming the
probable number of bison in a single
band, in one of his Tribune letters from
the game range in Colorado, he received
"biack eye' from which he never fully
recovered. Yet the herd he wrote about
would not have formed much more thar
respectable "calf yard" to the herds
have encountered On the Missouri river
between Fort Peck and the intersection
OF the northern spur of the Rocky noun
tains.
The summer OF 1871 produced a droutl
IN that country. All the smaller stream:
IN the interior ran dry and the game wa,
| driven IN upon the river ranges fo
water, and the buffalo were so numer
GUS that there was not minute duripe
one day in which over 800 miles of rivel
was covered, when herd was not il
sight on either bank of the Big Muddy
and not few of these vast bands o.
bison exceeded the drove witnessed b1
the lamented Greeley. Some detached
compact herds extended back on eact
shore OF the river as far as the eye coulC
reach, while the bosom of the stream
forward and aft of the steamer hpor
which l was stationed, was one black
Struggling mass of buffalo from bend tc
bend. They were crowded together sc
| densely as to impede the progress O.
the boat, and the wheel Of the craft was
frequently stopped to avoid it's destrnc
ton by the hundreds of large animals
which disappeared at the bow and reap
peared again at the stern. This precau
ton was necessary, as the revolving
wheel would otherwise have picked
them up to the demorlization of the
buckets. That there were milton O,
two embraced IN some of these herds
have no doubt, as in many instances
they changed within the range OF vision
the natural hue of the valleys and hills
on every side to deep black.
| This will seem like quite an extensi7,
buffalo story to those who are not fami
liar with the former wild scenes on the
upper Missouri, but there are thousand
Of persons in Sioux City and along th,
eutire length of the river, from New
Orleans to Fort Benton, who can voucl
for its truth.
To show the rapid annihilation O
this noble animal l would state that dur
ing the summer of 1874 I again passe,
through the country in question an,
failed to see thousand buffalo all told
and during the last three or four year
they have been Curiosity in that re
gion. The reckless, indiscrlmipat
slaughter of the gamo strack those no
engaged in robe hunting q
a great pityand crime
but it was good thing for ou
government, as 1t solved the India
problem aud saved millions of dollar
to our treasury that would have bee
expended IN Indian wars.
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