The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-02
KILLING THE BISON
HERDS OF BUFFALO.
5UIcHERED AND WIPED OUT OF Ex.
ISTENCE IN A FEW MONTHS.

tOb cNS6 IN ~ re" WIN
Hundreds Of Thousands Slaughtered In q
Couple Of Years After the Hunting Be-
came Genera'-story Of the Chase and
Battle In the Gorge.
Before the Northern Pacific railroad had
crossed the continent west OF the Missouri
river the section Of the country bounded
by that river on the east and the Rockies
On the west and stretching from the
Platte, IN Nebraska. northward to the
British line, was the greatest stanpiDz
ground for buffaloes IL the whole north
west. The country was more or less hos
tile in those days, and the Indians, who
bad been the best guardians of the bison
until white pos hunters came among them,
soon gained the civilized idea Of slaughter,
and from tina. time the doom of the repre-
sentative American game animal was posi-
lively assured but the greatest blow dealt
the bison herds of the northwest was the
completion of the Northern Pacific track
west from Bismarck to the Rocky noun
tains. The road practically divided the
herds (for the bison will never, unless
aud those to the south were soon swal
lowed up in the general slaughter waged
by Indians, pot, hide and tongue hunters,
foreign sportsmen and others who we're
cut TO kill anything they saw on sight.
This was during the winter of 1888.
Tie buffaloes to the north were in many
scattered bands, but there was one great
herd of not less than 20, GOO head, which
had found temporary refuge in the tri-
angle formed by the Musselshell, Missouri
and Yellowstone rivers in Montana, and
as yet they had not been "smelled OUT
by either red or white hunters, but they
were as surely doomed as though already
killed, for the railroad iron cut them off
from their southern range, and the In
dams of the Canadian northwest as well
as those of our own country barred their
retreat into the far NORTH, and SO they Were
nemmed in between the two, with M pos
sibility of escape in either direction.
To illustrate in few words the remark
able destruction of that section alone il
will only be necessary to say that this last
great herd was completely wiped out Of
existence in less than four months, and
before the close of the year there Were but
a few singles and pairs left as fugitives in
that vast country, where, but a year or
two before, they could have been counted
almost by the hundreds Of thousands. The
shipping figures from two points on the
Yellowstone IT the end of the season, Glen
dive and Miles City, show 500, 600 buffalo
hides sent from the former and lS5, $50
skins of elk, antelope and deer from the
latter place.
1t Glanced, at the time mentioned, that
the writer, with a small detachment Of
soldiers, was passing from the Missouri
river country TO the Yellowstone, and we
came across, almost daily, numerous bands
Of eros Ventre, Piegan, Blackfeet and
other Indians, all hurrying to the sIaugh-
ter of the noble animals on the Mussel-
shell. Our scout, or guide, was Crow
Indian named Two Moons, and one day
while threading cur way through Bad
Lands, painted bpttes and broken coulies
q small herd of about 600 bison came rush
ing into view around bluff not more
than geo yards distant, and with heads
down and paintbrush tails erect they
came IluDeing on directly toward Us in
the widest sort of confusion. A genuine
stampede was probably in full operation,
and the soldiers, not waiting for orders,
lost DC time in placing a safe and reasona-
BILE distance between themselves and the
threatened danger. They quickly SHE'D
of to the right, and felt it my duty at
this impending crisis" to keep as close to
the heels OF my fleeing comrades as the
speed of my horse would permit.
In few minutes the last of the fleeing
bison were well 10 the roar, and they soon
disappeared beyond neighboring knoll
With the speed OF an express train. While
them and debating whether a
,hase would be worth the trouble, from be-
hind the bluff where the buffalOes had
irst appeared now came & second band OF
bison, about go IL all, with dozen well
mounted Cheyenne bucks in hot pursuit.
As before, the animals came direct toward
Is, but our shoutings and hallooings
urned them aside, and they SHE'D off TO
he left, entering the jaws of n rough,
broken ravine, which was precisely what
heir red pursuers wanted. The ravine
vas q sort of rift in the Bad Lands which
led nowhere. but which we aft
rward discovered narrowed and closed In
until 1t ended in a steep, in passabie peck
t, with no outlet except by the original
way of entry.
The Indians shouted TO us as they rushed
", and, rather interested in the outcome,
Is l suspected the nature of the rayine,
eft the sergeant with the detachment,
md, taking the guide with me, followed
Witty on tho heels of the flying Chey-
nnes.
Game and hunters soon disappeared In
be twinings and intertwinings OF the
orge, and as it was an exceedingly rocky
nd difficult trail We took our time and
Practically ''made haste slowly" How !
be RID men ahead of us ever got over the /.
roand SO quickly was an unsolved mys- !
cry. Narrower and narrower became the I
orge, and at last we paused 10 listen. |
here was scarcely a sound III the air, but 4
his intense stiffness became suddenly I
roken by series OF rapid shots and wild J
ellis, accompanied by thundering, rum Z
ling noise which was almost ceafening 1
he tumult rapidly grew louder, and then, I
ust in front Of u. from out the depths OF q
be canyon came the buffalo herd like the 4
ind, directly toward US. Some were I
leeding, many were wounded, and others 4
-ere limping badly. 1t never seemed pos 4
ible that living brutes could travel over /
UGH rough ground with such speed, but 1
be difficulties Of the trail never seemed 70 4
oncern them in the least, for, as matter /
fact, the rear o1os crowded the forward 1
nes with such persistence and 30 rapidly I
bat they had 10 move quickly or else be
ranpled ander foot.
After this thun6ercloud had passed, 4
18th feelings OF great relief, we went on
p The canyon IN see bow the Indians had I
,red. 1t proved 70 have been a disastrous
for the Cheyennes. a. many q
hem were liInping and bleeding as badly
!; the staInpettec buaaloes- a survey 81
40 free frontier circus ground discovered