Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-12-28
BUFFALO FARM FAILS.
Only Herd in Iowa Sold at PubIis Au,
ton to Rockefeller

Poslvile, la, Dec. l6.-Buffalo rails?
ing i'm Iowa has not proved the f.ldo-
RADIO which was fondlv hoped by
Mcssrs. Hanson and Burgess of Clay
ton county, when they started their
venture some six years ago. Last
week, as a result of the failure of MIR.
Hanson, the buffalo were sold ut pub
lie auction and the dream of wealth
has passed.
The scheme was one of the most in
Niting which ever coaXcd the round and
shining dollars from the pocket of a
Spcculator 1T was simply this: To
buy a.-few buffalo, turn them out to
pasture, let them multiply according to
n:ltures laws and take the profits The
projectors of the scheme foresaw i'm it
many openings which would accrue
to their profit. They proposed to sell
their buffalo to geological gardens all
over this broad Omitted States. Not Il
circus would he complete unless it had
numbered in its menaSerie several
specimens of the Hanson and Burgess
herd. Buffalo hump was a delicary
which had long since gone off the mar
kct, the epicures of Chicago and the
other great cities would be given an
opportunity. through tho enterprise of
McssrS. Hanson and Burgess. 10 tickle
their palatcs with the almost forgot
ten delicacy with which the hardy
plainsnen had once RECALLED them
selves
These were tho dreams which came
to the projectors as they watched their
five buffalo, which they fondly expected
would be the progenitors of a teeming
herd peacefully grazing on the rich
pasturage of Il Clayton county meadow
As time went by. however the first
rift within the lutte appeared. The
buffalo did not multiply as expected,
and when tho herd was increased by "a
few Now arrivals the demand for them
was not what the spectators had
hoped. The zoo arrangements over the
country did moi appr, catc the oppor-
tunity afforded them to place spcci-
mems of the great American bison on
exhibition before their visitors; circus
arrangements showed a decided pref
crence TO s;lcrcd white elephants and
blood sweating behemoths of Holy
Writ, and the cpicurcs of Chicago did
not show themselves specially anxious
to attain To the now sensation of eating
buffalo hump.
Therefore the buffalo waxed fat on
Clayton county meadow grass, while
their owners vainly sought for pur-
chaser; who would bring in the rich
returns on the Investment which they
affairs became involved and the herd
upon which he had risked so much
went under the hammer.
The buffalo. when sold numbered
twenty head and were rightly consid-
cred one of the finest herds in the
country The animals had been We'll
cared for and were in the best of con
dition.
The twenty head brought total of
s3.iSa Waterloo men. with charac-
teliStic enterprise purchased two OF
the animals for s435. The remaining
eighteen went to swell the herd owned
by Frank Rockefeller of cleveland. o.,
l,rn liza, of b. ard LII,
Mr.. Roclefcllers speciality is the col
lection of American animals. which he
claims will rapidly die out unless some
measures arc taken to preserve them.
With this in mind he maintains n mag
Iificent collection. to which he is con-
slantly adding. He welcomed the op-
pe1tulity to spend $3.50 and add
eighteen fine specimens TO his herd
Later the Waterloo mon got cold fee,
ON the buffalo proposition and sold
their two buffalo TO Mr. Rockefeller,
who thus secured the entire herd.