Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-06-07
THE AMERICAN BISON.


4 FEoiect Aiming to Preserve the Animal
From Total ExtermIns stion.
Mr.. Plumb, OF Kansas, in the Senate,
and Mr., Peters, of the same State. In
Ehe House. have introduced measures
setting apart a tract in -Mans-Land
FOR the propagation OF buifaloes Mr..
Plumb gees to the extent of proposing
20 reserve for that purpose during
.wenty years all the land In the so-called
Neutral strip, on the border OF Texas.
By leasing To Mr. j. G. Jones, OF Kansas,
who has already herd OF bisons and
eress-breeds, and would put it on the
reservation. Those who want that land
open to settlement will oppose so extern
siSe scheme.
As to the particular. method Of trying
tardily To repair damage already ae-
enmplishea. Ii may fairly be said that
the Yellowstone Park IL practically
National preserve, somewhat analogous
20 that which MIR. Peters and Mr. Plumb
would establish in No Man's-Land.
Everywhere out OF that spot the bison
l. fast vanishing from the New World.
Last spring MIR. satterthwaite, making
up an estimate from his personal OBJ
was furnished TO him, concluded that
there were fewer than three hundred
huiFalocs within the Yellowstone Park,
nd not more than three hundred in the
Nhole nited States outs de Of thattract
This may leok like an exagveration, but
10 gave the details from which his esti-
mate WIS made np. liz noted about a
hundred buffaloes in Montana, some at
the head of Dry creek and the remainder
al the head OF Porcup'ne creek: in Wyn-
ming. few stragglers from the Nation
al Park: in Colorado, two lunches OF
mountain bison, one Of ~ head and the
other Of H." which probably no longer
exist; In Dakota none, although there
had been ~ two years before, and at the
same period 's2T in Nebraska and about
so more in the Indian Territory and
Kansas" in Texas, ~ head near the
Ratons, in the northwestern part Of the
Panhandle, and s in the sand hills on
the Staked Plains north of the pecos
river"
Correct or not. this is the detailed
counting, and. at all events no one
questions that only remnant Of the
millions of this fine race Of animals is
eft Hide hunters and sportsmen have
hecn fatal 90 II, when the Subsistence
which ii furnished for un ounted gener-
atious of the Indians Of the continent
( left its enormous numbers not material
Nv impaired. The extent to which the
ahorig were dependent On the bufFa-
10 and a few other animals for their sup
ply of food was shown by General Shcr-
mans proposal, in days when the idea
was current OF m impending conflict
between the rcd men and the white.
TO bring the former 70 terms by making
war ON grand scale upon the buffalo
and discriminating IT, Ii was TOO soon
evident that this organized attack would
have been superfluous. The wanton
slaughter Of buffalo, elk and antelope
throughout the West speedily reduced
many Indian hands almost to starvation.
and they became mendicantS supported
un tho Government reservations.
Colonel Dodge once declared that in
t,le years ls72. 1878 and 1874 alone s.more
than five millions Of butfaloes were
slaughtered fer their hides" This state
nent may b. difficult to believe. but ID
is certain that during ten years after
the close Of the civil war a prod gious
slaughter Of these animals occurred.
Hunters for skins 10 sell we're helped in
their work Of destruction by british
tourists and others who merely sought
10 kill as many a. possible without even
taking aMaY the hides. Yet more than
half century ago Congress prohibited
hy law the reckless slaughter Of game
IN the Territories; and the extermina-
in violation of that statute The animal
was destined of course, to gradually re-
treat and disappear before the march OF
settlement. hnt indiseriminate and
wanton destruction settled its fate
generations too soon. Washington Cor.
" Y sun.