The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-14

One Of the exhibits at the st. Louis
exposition which will attract universal
interest will be the largest domesticated
heard Of buffaloes on the American con-
tinent,' owned by James Philip of Pierre,
s. D.
The American buffalo, like the deer that
once roamed the wilderness, has. moved
before the civilization Of the white man.
Thirty. years ago a million bushy NAMED,
burly headed, majestic brutes trod the
western plains, and like the red man,
held it all their own. Even thirty years
ago the buffa1ees were SO plentiful in the
EDakotas, that a, buffalo hide sold for fifty
cents and a dollar. now they are cheap
at as many dollars as cents formerly.
Not over thousand head exist on the
American continent to-day, while
except where the are kept in domestic
bondage. AS Bryant says
- Twice twenty leagues
Beyond the remotest smoke of the hunter S
--.i camp .E..g- -, -a,.
Roams the majestic brute, in herds that Shake
The earth with laundering steps, .s:,E
but farther and farther still back from
| the miners and the hunters camp, have
| the bison been pushed by the advancing
| footsteps of the settlers, until only one
! wild herd is known to exist on the North
| American continent. This is in British
Colombia, and contains about a bundled
! head. OF the remaining portion of the
i
| ment has at Washington several fine
| specimens and in the Yellowstone Ma
! tional Park is has a still larger number
| in a semi-wild state over which it has
| placed Buffalo Jones of Kansas with
the intention of largely increasing che
herd, but which has been growing less
| and less for several years. due to the fac1
| Of their migratory instincts. 1t 1 is
thought another wild herd exists in the
northern part of New Mexico, but moth
ing is known definitely of them. 1.-The re.
| mainder are scattered over, the. country
in shows and parks in small numbers
| except the herd owned by James Philip
ffamliarly and widely known as .tScotty'
Philip, the buffalo man, and cattle
ranger of South Dakota. 4.
! Natural Range for5,t4is Pets.
/ Several years ago .'scotty'' conceived
the idea of raising buffaloesy He made {
careful study Of their habitat, disposition
/ and characteristics. 3: Eight miles from
Pierre, up that river
Whose blue water ne er gave back the whit
! mans face. n. ~ U.s.
"Scotty" strongly fenced with wove1
{. wire, a buffalo range of $4,000 acres. Her
he drove the goodly number of the wilt
bison of the prairie. which he purchased
from the estate of Dupree. The question
to be solved was. can they be domesti
Gated? He has conclusvely proved the
| II. l
in knowing how. ."Scotty'' has becom
1 an authority on buffaloes and while other
q have failed, he [ by carefully complyin,
q with the instincts of the buffalo has sue
Iceeded. .----------
His range faces on the Missouri river
back from whose banks for several mile
on either side there are high gurnbo hills
Over these hills and through these val
l1eys and out on the wide stretching pra
RE lis the range where the buffalo grass
quite as natural to the soil as the hero
grows in abundance. Here in winter an
in summer, in sunshine and in storm, i
drouth, or, in rain, snow tandi billiards
the buffaloes without sshelter and withou
feeding, rustic for themselves the yea
+ round.
Il At present in this pasture he has sixty
= four full FLOODED buffaloes and severe
e half breeds crossed with the native cattle
but which have proved worthless for eithe
robes or meat. "Scotty' has ceased rails
) ing these since the experiment has prove
a. failure. rs
The demand for the bulls are more tina
he can supply, and the price he receive
is simply phenomenal By keeping til
bulls until they have grown names an
large burly heads, he receives for tn
head in New York city for the purpos
i of mounting all the way from $500 |
$1,000. He recently sold one for the Ia:
! ter price, and has a, call for all he ca