The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-04

Relic of Old Days Appear In North
Dakota Herd.
From the Chicago Record.

From the Chicago Record.
An immense buffalo bull has put in an
appearance among the cattle owned by
the Sioux Indians and ranged near the
Standing Rock reservation, sixty miles
south Of this city. The animal came I'M
heralded, whence nobody knows. For
years 1t has been supposed that every
bison was extinct in this state, and the
last time that any were seen In the state
was back in the middle sos. when Gov.
Roosevelt, hunting along the Little Mis-
souri, river, killed one at crossing Of
the river. The animal that has made its
appearance near Standing Rock is I'M
usually wild and fierce and disposed to
attack herdsmen who attempt to get near
It, Strict orders have been issued by the
agent against killing the animal. In the
hope that 1t will remain and that others
may be discovered
The presence of this lone monarch of the
prarles recalls the time when the bison
ranged the vast prairies in the western
part OF the state by thousands, IL not
millions. when every water hole was a
gathering place for them and the hills
and valleys were worn deep with trails
along which the animals went from feed
ing ground to watering places. Even yet
all through the western part of the state
there are deep trails that were made Oy
the bison and that have not been wiped
out in half a century The suddenness
of the extinction of the bison is among
the most remarkable features Of the de-
velopment Of the West From thousands
and hundreds of thousands they dwindled
away almost at once.
In the early days OF steamboating along
the Missouri river passengers were fire..
quently treated to an unusual sight in
the fordipg of the river by bands OF
thousands OF these animals. On one oc-
casion a boat plying up the stream was
forced to stop and tie up for fcrty-eight
hours while the immense moving mass
OF bison plunged into the stream, swan
through its muddy waters and emerged
on the other side. The water was churn-
ed to foam and the river literally black
with the animals. They made periodical
trips Of this kind from one side of the
Missouri to the other, always moving
in immense bodies. A buffalo stampede
was not uncommon, and woe to the UNI
fortunates who might be caught In the
path.
Then came the buffalo hunters. In the
early dogs Of Bismarck hundreds OF hunt
ers armed themselves and sought the
feeding ground OF the animals. Thousands
upon thousands OF them were killed for
on the prairies SNo precautions we're TAX
en- at that time against their extinction,
and the result was that in a few years
there was not a bison remaining The In
dams also engaged In frequent hunts.
riding into the dense herds upon their
ponies and slaughtering them by thous-
ands.
Buffalo coats and robes that we're worth
few dollars twenty years ago In the
West now command fancy prices. Good
robes are impossible to obtain at any
price and coats are eagerly sought after.
The government still has a few rough
coats ~ store that are issued to the sol
diers in the Far West. Buffalo heads
that were sold for little or nothing fifteen
and twenty years ago now bring as high
as $500 when mounted, and are difficult to
obtain OF that price
In the hills near Standing Rock the
country Is rough and. broken and Is sell
dom visited II is thought. from the APP
pearance OF the solitary bison, that there
may be small bands OF them ranging the
inciosed feeding grounds and every effort
Will be made to locate and protect them.