The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-22
LAST BUFFALO HUNT
HELD IN OKLAHOMA
One Killed Where Thousands
Were Once Shot
THICK THIRTY YEARS AGO
Were So Numerous In the West That
They Would Knock Locomotive
Off the Track-Robes
Worth $500.
THICK THIRTY YEARS AGO

Off the Track-Robes
Worth $500.
The greatest wild west show on record
was given not long ago at 1o1 Ranch.
near the town of Bliss in Oklahoma.
The ranch is said to be the largest in
the world, and the Miller boys-as the
owners are called-do most things on Il
big scale. When they gave a buffalo
hunt and feast TO 40 600 persons. they
were going even themselves one better.
In the old days, writes George G. Balm
in the Wide World Magazine. a buffalo
hunt was a solemn ceremonial among the
Indians. One of their number acted as a
lure to the beasts. While others ranged
themselves in two concealed eonverging
lines the leader went out-wearing. per-
haps, biffalo skin over his head-and by
curious antics attracted the attention OF
the herd
When one or two of them started to-
ward him to examine him he retreated,
the beasts following and the whole herd
falling in behind. As the column of buff
falo entered the unmarked trap the In
dams on each side of it made demonstra-
tions to frighten them, so that the ami
mails ran around in a circle while the
men of the tribe picked them off one by
one.
The Millers arranged their buffalo hunt
as a spectacle, having constructed a stand
for the spectators. 1t is estimated that
40 600 persons were on the grounds and
partook of the dinner of buffalo meat,
though if one old bull buffalo-which was
the only member of the Miller herd sacrl-
ficed-supplied food for 40. 900 men and
women that day something like a miracle
must have taken place.
Picturesque Scene Presented.
The land laid out for the buffalo hunt
was about forty acres In extent Seven
tiers of seats were filled with interested
spectators. In the foreground were gath
cred the picturesque COW boys of the
range. With them was group of be-
feathered Indians, headed by that famous
old murderer Geronimo.
Twenty-Five years ago the plains swarm
ed with buffalo, but it Is probable that
less than a thousand of them exist today.
Most of these are in captivity although
there is one free herd in the Yellowstone
park. It's numbers can be only estimated,
but it is thought to be increasing.
The next largest herd to that in tho
Yellowstone few years ago was one of
$50 buffalo owned by c. j. Jones of Gar
den City, Kan. known as Buffalo Jones.
Another owner Is Michael Pablo, a full
blooded Indian of Flathead Agency, Mon,
who held at one time more than two nun
..,1.
Night, Tex. has between forty and nifty;
Major G. W Lille of Pawnee. okla. has
ffty-1ve. and James Philip of Fort Pierre,
S. D., has about seventy-hve.
There is also the small herd in New
Hampshire owned by the Austin Corbn
estate In the Bronx zoo there are about
twenty-five, which belonged to the herd
of the late W. c. Whitney Five other
representatives of this herd are scattered
through the east.
AT one time a buffalo oyercoat was con-
sidered a necessity by those living in the
northwest In St. Paul one could buy
such coat for $40. Today buffalo robe
is worth from 5000 to $500. 1t was the
njtiful sum of 81 so to 81 each paid for
their hides which tempted men to kill Off
the buffalo
In 1870 the Pacific railroad had difficulty
In onerating its trains because of the
enormous herds of buffalo which crossed
their tracks. At first the engineers tried
charging these herds; but deralled ana
crippled engines warned them that me
buffalo were not to be brushed OH inc
track in this reckless fashion
After that the railroad trains were held
IN and messengers sometimes watched
for two or three hours the enormous
herds crossing the lines. They were quite
inoffensive were not at all frightened
at the approach of man.
Stur dity Their Ruin.
II was this stupidity which added the
element of certainty to their extinction
Other animals when hunted grow wary
of man and of the sound of his gun
but the buffalo never associated the pres
ence of man or the guns report with
danger and the hunter could easily FOL
low a small herd. killing them off one
by one until he had got them all
This meant that a good hunter could
kill from thirty to seventy-hve BUFFALO
day. This meant a very large income,
the promise of which drew thousands of
men to the plains. and during the years
1g72-74 millions of the animals were
killed In 1876 $4,000 hides we're shipped
to the east from Fort Benton: In 1884
none was shipped. The year 1888 had seen
the virtual extinction of the buffalo.
The southern herds were exterminated
first. They made their last stand in Tex
as. where. scattered over sparsely set
tied territory in diminished numbers,
they offered little temptation to the pro-
fessional hunter. Meantime the northern
railroads were being pushed through. and
the herds were quickly attacked and ex-
terminated.
In 1888 the last great herd of buffalo
estimated at 5000. crossed the Yellow
stone river, going north. and IL is thought
that they persisted of hardship and dis
ease. At all events, they never came
back, and they have never been heard of
since.
The Millers have some idea Of breeding
buffalo direct and making their invest
ment profitable. Others have tried cross
breeding with various kinds of cattle.
This is not new experiment, for a cen
fury ago In Kentucky efforts were made
in this direction. The result In recent
years has been called cattaloe. Its
development may prove valuable. because
the hybrid is big of frame and can, there
fore, carry plenty of meat. while it has
all the toughness and strength of the
buffalo,