The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-16
SNAPSHOTS AT BUFFALO.
HUNTING BIG GAME IN MONTANA
WITH 4 CAMERA.
Famous AIIard Herd That Was
started by CattIeman, Who in
1893, Purchased Buffalo Jones'
Kansas Herd.

"Dere's tree bull" said the guide. We
looked in the direction that he indicated
and there, on the north slope of the Big
Butte, were three magnificent buffalo
bulls. They were half mile distant. and
had not noticed our approach. Two of
them were lying down, and the third was
standing with his head toward us, sleepy
and Indifferent None of the rest of the
herd were in sight "Dass all right" he
continued de herd she's not far
We had driven thirty miles since break
fast from the hospitable home of Alex
ander De Mers, at St Ignatius' Mission,
to the Alard ranch on Mud creek. The
I drive had been a pleasant one, though
more than half of it was through a morn
ing fog that was so dense that it was at
times impossible to see beyond the heads
of the horses. The road was along the foot
of the splendid Mission range of noun
tains, crossing al frequent intervals the
beautiful streams that make the Mission
valley paradise. We had passed Indian
farms that doomed suddenly out of the fog
and suddenly disappeared, the stolid
half-breed on the front seat of our wagon
pounding the cayuse team along at a rate
that would have alarmed a man unaccus-
toned to the capacity of The little runt
of horses. They kept up in their collars
all the way, and the thirty-mil drive
was made in three hours. Now and then
we would meet an Indian rider who grunt-
ed salutation to US as we emerged from
the haze OK fog and would look al us
wonderingly as we swung along East him.
From the yards and corrals of the Indian
farms the cur dogs of the reserve would
rush out at us, snariing and yelping. There
was always something to break the mo-
notony Of the drive through the fog, and
1t was not irksome.
As We neared Mud creek the fog lifted
and the sun came up clear and bright.
1t was a good day for pictures, and if we
could find the buffalo the trip would be
an interesting and profitable one The
cayuses made final squirt, and we swung
up in front of the old Allard ranch ia
millar to air who crossed the reserva-
ton in the old staging days. This was
the feeding station in those days and here
the Allard stages changed horses. There
has been many a sharp race across the
Mud creek fiat between the big six-horse
stages and the excitement was always high
when the passengers were eating al Al
iards The opposition stage would ppob-
ably pass them there. and that meant
hard chase up the hill to the divide that
overlooked the Flathead lake. We chang
ed horses here, too and we also got
dinner. With a fresh team and Joe Houlle
at The lines we started immediatel after
eating, to Look for the herd. Joe knew
where they were, he said, and we set out
across the valley to the Big Butte where
we expected to find the Buffalo
Where the Buffalo Ranged.
Tho natural habitat of the buffalo-more
properly the bsen-was between the A la-
gheny mountains on the East and the foot
of the Rockies and each year the Indian
of the valleys that are nowsin Western
Montana. Idaho and Washington made nil.
grimage TO the buffalo country" for hides
and meat This annual buffalo hunt was
one of the great occasions in the calendar
of the Western Indians. 1t was attended
with much pomp and ceremony and occu-
pied often nearly a quarter Of the year. 1t
furnished the Indians with much of their
winter meat and with skins for blankets
and for tepees. The medicine men made
their incantations; the chiefs exhortel
their subordinates; the novitiate warrior
frequently won his plume on these expedi-
tons across the range. The buffalo coun-
try was then the range in the Eastern
valley of Montana and the pilgrimage
across the mountains was an important
event Whole villages of the Indians
Travelled together and the sojourn in the
valleys of Eastern Montana was exciting
and full of danger. Bloody battles were
often fought on these pilgrimage
ters with hostile tribes who were on the
same errand But these dangers did not
deter the Indians from making the trio
1t was of too much Importance to them.
II meant meat and shelter and that was
practically everything in those days.
History of the AIIard Herd.
Yet it is in one of these valleys of West
ern Montana that the largest herd of buf-
falo extant now exists and thrives in its
new surroundings. The Allard herd was
started by Charles Allard, the well known
cattlemah of the Flathead reservat ion who
died few years ago. From a small begin
Ming by breeding and by purchase the
herd has increased till 1t now numbers
about 200 head These buffalo have free
range on the open pastures of the Mission
valley, their favorte place being in the
neighborhood of the Big Butte, a familiar
landmark to those who have visited that
norton of the reserve. The big animals
do not range in one large herd, but d.
vide into small bands, averaging from
twenty-five to forty head These small
bands are generally under the leadership
of a big bull and the mastery of herd Is
frequently the cause of battle between
TWO of these big fellows. Those who
have seen these contests say that the
struggles are magnificent in their exhibit
ton of strength.
In the Mission valley and the Lower
Flathead valley these animals find cll-
mate and forage that seem to be satisfao-
tory, for the herd is steadily increasing
Not all of the buffalo In che Allard hero
are from the Northern stock. In 1898
Mr. Allard purchased the famous Kansas
herd of buffalo OF Buffalo Jones, which
was brought TO Montana and driven 10
The Flathead range. At that time the an
finals were exh bited in several of the
larger Montana towns. Some of the Kan
sas buffalo had been partially broken to
wagon, and those who visited the buffalo
show will recall the display of awkward
ness that the trained" buffalo gave at
chat time.
In the Kansas herd too. were some cat
aoes," as they are called-crosses between
the Buffalo and the range cattle These
are homely crea lures, neither buffalo nor
COWS, and did not seem to promise much
for the attempt 10 produce a marketable
animal from this system OF cross breed
ing The experiment has been continued
on the reservation, but IL has not been
very successful. There is now on an ISL
and In the Lower Flathead LAKE q baud
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