The Portland daily press., 1895-04-27

ly SnQOIS down Inc leader OF the neru. L ne
others startled by seeing the old COW sink
down, gather around IN fright. No enemy
is recognized. and no other buffalo prompt
ly assuming leadership the remainder of
the hcrd await this fate. which soon comes.
We're any one to assume leadership to run
the hcro out of range. the hunters rifle
mari es him for the next victim. Notwith-
standing this merciless war, waged by both
whites and Indians, and the steady de-
crease of its number. there were millions
of buffaloes left On the plains up to 1870,
and although half million were being an
nually killed. The increase was such that
determination was far distant. But, by
coincidence that was fatal 10 the buffalo,
with the completion of lines of Railways
through the range Union Pacific. Atnb1n-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe and Southern Pa
cific) came the great demands for robes at
tended by AN unlimited supply OF long range
reech-lvading rifles and fixed ammunition
Mr.. H. Andrews said he had Tired,
lis shois, from one stand and killed So
buffalo in less than one hour. Mr. McNancy
knew of OIL head killed at stand and Col.
Dodge once counted liz carcasses inside a
semicircle of 200 yards, all killed. by one nan
in IS minutes etc., etc.
AS late as 1875, on the range, bull robe
was orth only Sl.0O. To obtain such a pitt
full sum his noble animal was wiped from
the face of the earth.
The completion Of the Union Pacific Rail
road in 1869 divided the Bison of
America into two herds. which thereafter
were known as the northern and the
southern herds, both retiring rapidly
III. Nh
southern herd was then estimated to con-
tain twice as many individuals MS the
northern herd, although it's range
covered but one-half as much territory. its
ge osraphical CT inter- was in 1870, just prior
10 the great slaughter, in South Western
Kansas.
The Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe Rail
roads, and the Kansas Pacific were now
constru, ted through the heart of the range.
and but little else was done in this region
during the years 1871-74. except buffalo kill
ing. The rush to the range has been likened
to that of the California mines in earlier
years. Merchants located along the lines of
these ailroads and built up an in mense
business Quitting the slaughter parties
and handling the products. The details of
the butchery al g too revolving for repetition.
1t was no uncommon thing for one man to
bring in two barrels of sailed tongues at
a time. not ound of meat or solit airy
robe. This wanton killing reached its
heig bit in 1878, when one Railroad bought
out $3.50 robes. 1000. 0u00 lbs. neat and
100000 lbs. of bones. Col. Dodge SAYS one
robe sent to market then might represent
five buffaloes. such was the want of
knowledge and skill in shooting the animals
and curing the robes. An estimate of the
killing from the great southern herd during
the years 1872 "A is
By white man. 3,l50o0O
BY Indians living on Range, 400,00O
By settlers and mountain Indians. 10000
I, 3,7O0.0G0
Unfortunately. there is no reason to believe
these figures too high.
There are many mon now living. WHO
claim they each killed flom 2500 to 5000
yearly, during these years. With the thousand
of men then on the range and the possibili-
es of slaughter before each. is it any Won
der that with the season OF 1875. the great
southern herd was annihilsted. A few
thousand escaped to the South in broken
bands. as far as the pecos river, i'll Western
Texas. The last wild buffalo was seen in
South Western Kansas in 1886, and score
or so may have then been living in the Pan
handle REGION of Texas. the last represen-
tation of he herd.
The final destruction of the northern
herd began with the building of the
Northern Pacific Railroad in 1882 The
range was then between the valley of the
Platte and the Great Slave Lake and the
herds, most abundant along the central
portion of this region. Prior to this time
for some 30 years the annual output of
robes fro,n this region had varied from so to
10000
The year 1881 witnessed similar rush of
de-hunters with The northern range
that had occurred IL years Lefore with the
southern. AT that lime robes were worth
three times as much as when southern
herd was destroyed, and the hunters were
some of a rich reward as long as he buffalo
lasted. This herd was hen estimated at
l.OG0.000.
Lieut.. Particle 9th Infantry declares "a
Gordon of hunters camps completely block
ing the ranges OH the Milk. MusselshelI
Yellowstone and Marian rivers, rendered
impossible for any to escape. About 5000
men were there upon them mort hern ranges
IHoSe III Inc south drove the poor animals
nortnward directly into the muzzles OF the
thousands of repeaters awaiting them.
AS late as 1883 herd of $4,000 & osse the
Yellowstone n few miles from Fort
Keogh with scores of Indians, pot-hunt-
ers and white butchers at their heels, bound
for harbor of safety in the Dominion of
Canada but NOT 5000 of this mighty host lived
to reach the British border
Unquestionably that region yielded an i'm
mense number as robes or at'ested by the
thousands of tons of bones more recs ntly
gathered UP there.
The same brutal methods were ed TO
kill off this herd as were employed against
the southern herd. But the product
was much larger proportion of robes to
animals killed owing to less wasteful meth
DDS of killing and curing. Robes then brought
to The hunter $500. BY way of i'll is
tration, Mr.. Smith of Montana killed 107
from one stand in one hours time, in the
Red water country, 100 miles n. e. of Miles
City. and claims he killed 5000 between No
vember and February in 1S81-92.
At the beginning of the hunting season
of 1888. the herd contai ned 10000 head and