The Dickinson press., 1902-07-12
NEW HERD OF BUFFALO
Howard Eaton, the Bad Lands R~anchman,
Tells Where More Buffalo May
be Obtained.

Howard Eaton, the Bad Lands Ranchman,
Tells Where More Buffalo May
be Obtained.
Howard Eaton, of Medora, N. d., wa.
in Minneapolis recently en- route home
from a visit with an old Bad Lands ranch
neighbor, who has given up life on the
range and has resided in the east for
several years, says the Minneapolis
Journal. UP and down the Little Mis-
souri, this transplanted rancher is known
still to retain his love for the free life in
the open; he is still called Teddy" out
there, though in the public prints he is
now more commonly known as Presi-
dent Theod'e Roosevelt. "He was a good
fellow in the early days. says Mr.. Eaton,
"and'he hasn't changed a bit since then,
except to improve with age"
incidentally, Mr.. Eaton's visit in
Washington may result in a considerable
enlargement of the buffalo herd in the
Yellowstone national park. He did not
go east for that specific purpose,
but he knew where a good bunch
Of bluffs could be secured and
gave the government a chance to take
over the options he had already secured
on them. MIR. Eaton is sort of a wild
animal broker. Ernest Seton Thomp-
son, w. T. Hornaday and other famous
naturalists have been his guests at Gus.
ter Trail ranch, near Medora, and he is
in touch with every geological garden in
the country. He keeps himself thorough
ly informed on big game conditions
throughout the entire western country
and it was thus he struck the trail of the
Flathead buffalo herd.
About twenty-five years ago there
dwelt on the Flathead reservation in
westernmost Montana an Indian whose
heart was bad. His badness eliminated
in the murder of his wife, the daughter
of one of the prominent men of the tribe,
and he was forced to "vamose" between
two days. He fled aclos the main
range of the Rockies to the Blackfoot
IN WIN ~ l1lllCS tlOllllCdSl,
and took up his abode among the super
%stitious and thoroughly uncivilized Black
feet. Such fugitives from one tribe to
another are not rare and the Flathead
was soon known for what he was. With
in a month the Blackfeet we're visited BY
an epidemic of smallpox, the most feared
scourge among the Indians, and the Flat.
head refugee was speedily picked as the
evil influence whose advent had aroused
the wrath of the Great spirit. There was
no other haven of refuge for the fugitive
and things were looking extremely blue
for him. In his dilemma he sought cut
a French priest for advice.
GO back to your people," said the
missionary. Take them, if you can
some gift to show that your heart ha:
, changed. 1t may be they will take you
back"
81 The Flathead decided to follow the
advice and proceeded to cast about fol
2 some suitable gift within his reach. He
finally hit upon the buffolo. That wa!
in the eatly eighties, when the northern
/ herd showed no signs of diminution
0 His residence among the Blackfeet hae
-. taught him how invaluable were the ami
mails to the Indians. The Flathead
were beyond the buffalo country ant
' could hunt them only by facing the peril
of the mountains and mourning tn
danger of being dumped" by hostil
N Blackfeet. So he would take buffalo t
" the Flatheads.
After persistent effort with the laria
the penitent Flathead succeeded in car
turing one bull and eight COWS alive
Hobbling them with rawhlde thongs, h
began a trip SO full of hardship and dar
" ger that nobody but a most determine
Indian would ever have undertaken i
Across the plains, where progress wa
painfully slow, over the snow cappe
mountains, where feed was scarce, an
it would bother a fly to find footing, h
somehow drove his little bunch of ur
ruly, wild animals. 1t took him week
to traverse the. 400 miles, but finally h
came back to his people worn and haE
gard, with constant watching and priv;
{ ton. Two of the cows had died, the res
OF the animals were gaunt and ~footsor,
but they were alive, and the peace Offer
ing proved effective.
"a The Flatheads plnced their little her
in a valley whence egress was stoppe
by mountains. Hide hunters decimate
the herd east of the Rockies; the raj
" roads came through and by 1890 the bu
falo was thought to be extinct, exceE
y the few herd in captivity by white mel
1t was only a few weeks ago hat tn
1 Flathead herd was discovered. 1t ha
% been ~jealously guarded, for the wester
Indian somehow regards the buffal
., with a superstitious reverence, and toda
there are more than 200 pure bloods, an
70 twice as many more half breeds.
Is MI. Eaton recently visited the Fla
"a heads and bought several perfect spec
mems from the buffalo herd, for which h
found ready sale in the east. He ais
secured options on nearly all the pun
bloods on the reservation. For years h
has maintained the dairy herds at tn
Yellowstone Park hotels and posts, an
this spring he was assured by Mait
ne, Pitcher that the buffalo herd in the par
was running down and that some ne
II hlood nc oo>d>I II W,.b:oo4a