Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-07-15
A VANISHED RACE

The Buffalo has DISAPPEARED
From Earth Happy Homes are
Now Where He Roamed.
But few men living in Grand Rapids
or in Wood county were buffalo hunt
ers. The story of the American buff
falo has been eloquent1y written and
the seeming ruthless destruction Of
vast herds told in every language, but
method that is now being employed to
preserve the remnants of the noble
races are not generally known. Eight
attempts have been made to::keep the
buffalos from becoming extinct and
all but one have been almost an entire
failure. Three efforts have been
made in California, one 10 Golden
Gate park at San Francisco, and one
by the Southern Pacific railroad COM
pany at Pacific Grove. Here the buf-
falo all died from some mysterious
ailments. The Yellowstone National
park formerly had three hundred fine
buffalo gathered in one of the finest
parks in the wsrld and placed under
the governments protection, yet but
twenty are living today and they are
by no means in thrifty condition.
Eight years ago Mr.. Molera OF Cali
fornia, became interested in the
American buffalo and resolved to save
him from determination and his
labors are being crowned with success.
There is no question but what the
problem is solved. Mr.. Molera pur-
chased two buffalo, one in San Fran
cisco, and a fine COW from Buffalo
Jones of Nebraska, for which he paid
800. His next purchase was in 1893.
when he secured seven head, four of
them being full blood and three mixed
ancestory. This herd he gave the
best care in seemingly perfect eli
mate, but it IS strange and unac-
countable fact that almost all OF the
calves born to buffalo in captivity are
males. During eight years Of patient
watching Mr.. MOlera has found in his
herd but one pure buffalo heifer calf
and that was born last year.
Mr.. Molera is highly educated
man and has done much to promote
the interest of science and learning
on the Pacific coast. Discovering the
difficulty in the way of direct breed
ing confirmed by his own experience
he therefore conceived plan of his
own which he proceeded to carry into
execution. He procured the purest
breed of Galloway domestic cattle, the
type which in all the world is perhaps
closest allied to the bison, being large
and sleek, black and hornless, and
these he placed. with his bufalos.
The result has been successful even
beyond his expectations. In the half
breed almost every calf is heifer.
When grade of fifteen-sixteenth is
reached the animal in appearance and
in reality has reverted to the pure
buffalo type. The object of this ex-
pertinent was to preserve the animals
native characteristics. Yet it has
been found that the Galloway cross
causes thick long silky hair to grow all
over the buffalo's body, infinitely
superior in quality to the old shaggy
rough growth covering only the for.
ward quarters. Experiments were
made the mountain buffalo which is
smaller and more scruby than the
buffalo of the plains, but they proved
failures. Mr.. Molera's herd number
twenty-four animals, including pure
buffalo, half breeds, three-quartel
and seven-eights. They are an odd
looking herd, that the rate Of increase
will be rapid in the future. It is ex'
pected that they will play prominent
part in the stock industry of the
western states in years to come.
The buffalo was the first animal OF
the plain to yield to the supremacy OF
the white man. The antelope re.
NAMED several years after the buf.
falo had disappeared. The wild horse
was quite common in southern and
western Kansas in rs and '76. Large
bands we're often seen along the
Medicine river and its branches
There are several bands from 20 to loo
in western Kansas and eastern Colo.
RADIO at the present time. But the
gray prairie wolf is the most defiant
Of any wild animal of the plain and
seems to thrive where ever the stock
man can find grass for his flocks and
herds. He will appear on the Level
prairie as if by magic as soon as the
sun disappears just as mysteriously
at the first dawn of day. He is des-
pissed by the herder and home steader
alike and the hunter and trapper
have no love for him. He is coward
when alone and tiend when in large
bands. The buffalo had a wonderful
facility of protecting themselves and
their young from the ravage of the
I wolf.
The Illustration and glowing de-
scriptions in eastern papers of hunt
| ing the buffalo on horse back and
lassoing the wild horse were very mis-
leading. The writer has been COM
PEELED to place the hind quarters of a
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