The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-02-10
Allard and Michael Pablo Imported
the Stock From Nebraska.
cOLONIZED WILD HORSE ISLAND
But the Buffalo Did Not Choose to
Remain in This Sequestered Wild
erness and Swan One by One to
the Mainland, Two Miles Away

So much scientific interest centers
ii. the fast disappearing and almost
extinct buffalo that few words on
the herd now roaming the plains in
| the Mission valley may not be out of
place
| The buffalo herd ranges in the Mis-
sion vall.y west of the main tray
eled road They may be on either
side or both sides of the Pend
t'Oreille river West from SINGERS
ranch. II mines from the lake, is a
large butte rising from the plain
Near this some of the buffalo are
quite likely to be found Leaving the
road at or near SINGERS, the visitor
may see the herd with a couple of
hours travel 1t is not likely the en-
tire herd may be seen in one place.
Eighteen years ago, in 1884. Chas.
Allard and Michael Pablo bought of
an Indian named Samuel ten head of
| buffalo, which the Indian brought
from east of the Rocky mountains.
From Buffalo Jones. in Nebraska
they purchased A head, is of which
were graded stock. From this begin
nlng OF SO full blooded ana Is graded
animals the present herd has de-
| scended
At the present writing. February
1902, there are on the reserve 22O full
booded and So graded animals Dur
ing the past year there have been
sold nearly 100 animals. In the years
past others have been sold but the
number is not determined.
| TWenty-seven heal We're sold to
Conrad of Kalispell, and are now
cared for on Conrad's ranch Be
tween 40 and so are said to have
been sold to a company. the majority
to stay on the reservation. the others
to be used in the show business Sew
e'al were sold to Iowa parties.
In 1901, IS calves were added to
the herd. About half of the cows are
said to have calves each year. The
COWS do not have calves until they
are four or five years of age. It is
claimed hat the fertility of the herd
is not decreasing. A portion of the
| calves die or are killed. about the
same proportion as for ordinary cat
tie on the range
calf not over 80 seconds born
was upon its feet, and not over 20
minutes old showed fight, as stated
by Joseph Allard who owned it.
Half-breed COWS are fertile. either
with buffalo or cattle Half-breed
bulls have not been tried and are not
reported.
The stays show many differences
in build from bulls. The principal
difference is to be noticed in the
horns, which are longer. probably
larger, standing out farther from the
head.
TWenty-seven of these animals
were recently taken to Plains. in or
der that two might be selected from
the number. Five men were driving
the animals, and even then half a
dozen got away. They would not fol
low the road. but went up and down
hill as they pleased They are sure
footed. quick and nimble The COWS
are always ON the alert to seen an
opportunity to escape, and move very
quickly After escaping they imme-
dlately return to the herd.
The animals paid little attention
to barbed wire fences. and went
through them on many occasions.
After they were put into the high
fenced corral at the stockyards they
mashed down the gate, several ee-
Gaping
In crossing a river on the ice. il is
necessary to make good trail with
horses, so the tracks may be visible.
otherwise they will not cross. They
look first at the near side and then
at the far side. then dash across. An
old bull will probably lead, when all
will follow. They are sure footed
and take ice as easily as a shod
horse. They plunge into water with
out hesitation when separated from
the herd and are returning, and swim
easily and rapidly. The cows are
much harder to handle than the bulls
They usually range i'm two main
herds, but the winter of 1901 they
were in three herds. These are fur
Their split up into small bands of
from few to several dozen.
The range of the buffalo herd is
along the Pend d'Oreille river, in the
Flathead Indian reservation. Occa-
sfonally they wander into the cult
waited fields of the Indians and squaw
men. They range over a territory 8
tc 10 miles long and about as wide.
With them are many herds Of cattle
and horses. It takes a practiced eye
to tell whether a speck on the hori-
zon is a herd Of buffalo, of cattle or
OF horses.