The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-09-13
STORY OF MoNTANA's REMAIN
ING BUFFALO HERD.
IN THEIR NATURAL HABJTA1
Only Spot in Which Monarch of thl
Plains Still Lives Where Ma
ture Placed Him.

Upon information gathered by him
from first. hands and illustrated ~
views taken by himself, Sumner WI
Matteson, recently of Great Falls, but
now of New York City, has written al
interesting and entertaining article
for Golfers Weekly on THE Passing
Iof the Buffalo" The contribution
deals principally with the herd of
buffalo, the largest in existence, now
ranging on the Flathead reservationI
in this state. AS the story he tellsI
is one OF interest to the many whoi
still Live here and to whom the sighta
OF immense herds OF buffalo grazingj
where are now ranches and farms
was common one, The Gazette rel
produces it.
| The Most Practicable.
"Of the few places left within thesl
boundaries of the United States where
| there is still a chance to preservesl
and perpetuate the buffalo, the Flat
head Indian reservation in nothern
Montana is perhaps the most practi-1
cable" writes Mr.. Matteson. TT is
often supposed that with the excep-
ton Of the animals found in the Yell
lowstone National park, and in va
rious city parks about the country,
there are practically no more buffalo
in the United States. In the bad 4
lands of the Flathead country, as
matter of fact, there is a herd of over
300 running at large, which raised 10
calves last season, and are in per-
fectly healthy condition.
mo wild animal can thrive in cap
tivity with what nature has provided,
and with but limited numbers it must
sooner or later become extinct One
of the most successful game preserves
in the country, established by the late
William c. Whitney, on October noun.
tain, near Lenox, Mass, has been dis.
continued and it's herd Of SO buffalo
disposed of. Twenty-six were pre-
sented to the New York Geological
society, and these, with the two bulls,
Cleveland" and mckinley previous-
ly presented, constitute what hereafter
will be known at Bronx park as the
Whitney herd" They are, however,
considerably understood, and with a
damp climate and heavy grass, they
can never be true to their kind. v
'@The buffalo in the Yellowstone
park are scarcely in captivity, vet 4
have retreated to remote places In &
the high mountains, far above their 4
natural climes, and are a prey not
only to extreme climate and vegeta-
tion, but also to wild beasts, and
it is generally conceded that even they
are not doing WE'LL The buffalo herd
now in the bad lands are where hui
mans seldom venture, and where they 4
are watched over by a herder who
scarcely ever leaves his ambush ex-
cepting to secure provisions. It seems
fitting that this natural range, from
which the buffalo were all killed on
in the early fifties by the Hudson Bay b
traders, should offer hope of reclaim
ing the beast
History of the Herd.
THE owner OF this land is Pablo, a
half7breed born at Fort Benton about
1916. His father a Spaniard was
soon after killed by hostile Indians,
and his mother, a full-blooded Black
foot, also died in his infancy When
II years of age he settled on the Flat
head reservation as restricted by the M
Stevens treaty OF 1855, and he has
never seen any wild buffalo in the
valley during the 40 years he has
lived there. Z
EARLY in the seventies a few buffalo
still remained in the Mission range,
the eastern boundary Of the
Flathead reservation, and in 1875 four q
yeaflings were there captured alive
by half-breed. By 1882 these had
Increased to IL, and we're then pur-
chased by Pablo and a Frenchman ma M
named Allard. Ten years later
worlds fair promoter began negotia-