The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1906-06-13

'''Ae'' notapiy ln the breeding
'eason, the animals gathered in count.
1858 thousands, darkening the earth
's lar as the eye could reach, VIXEN
1T rest, and when in motion filing the .
cir with dust and With the thunder
notes OF their galloping hoofs. Even
aS late as 187l-leas than thirty.ave
years ago-this animal was present in
this country in numbers almost beyoud
belief.
A faint ides Of the vast hordes
which made the prairie tremble be-
meath their tread at that time NAV be
had from an account gives us by Col.
Il. L. Dodge in his "Plains Of the
Great West ,.-
I'm May, 1871" he says, II drove
IN light wagon from old Fort Zara
to Fort Larned, on the Arkansas, 81
miles: At least % miles of the dis
tance was through an imnense herd.
composed Of countless smaller herds
OF buffalo chen on their journey moth.
line road ran along the broad level
bottom or valley Of the river.
%'The whole country appeared one
great mass Of. buffalo, moving slowly
20 the uorthwsrd; end it was onlv
When actually among them that is
could be asoertained chat the appar.
ent solid naas was an agglomesat;ou
Of snnomerable small herds Of from
ao to zoo ;animsla, separated from Tho
surrounding herds by greater or less
space, but still separated"
1t is eonaervatively estimated that
Coi' Dodge saw, at least SOC, 1000 buf-
faloes, and these but Q fraction Of q
great herd Of at least 1000, 600. an
army greater "a pumber than all the
men, women aud children Of greater
New York put together. The Iudiana
OF some of the tribes used 20 think
that the buffaloes issued from the
earth in never failing stream, and
indeed it might readily seem difficult
to account for euch numbers in anv
other way, Ie it any wonder that
many men believed that it was quite
impossible to exterminate the bison2
Yet in the short space of a dozen
years frome the date on which Coi
Dodge passed through that herd Of
4,0oo,o ZOO, the buffalo had ceased to
exist as wild animals in this conn.
try. 49, !. J. ..:':. 4
The buffalo was gregarious in its &
habits, and at certain season the
nerds vera larger and more compact
than ut others. Especially. was this
true OF the breeding season, which
came chiefly in July and August; then /
| vast herdee gathered on the plains,
which we're the scenes Of the gssatsst
activity for several weeks, during
which the roaring OF the bulls was
continuous, and could Be heard :for. !.
miles. There WAS also much fehtins
isssss ::As s.s!!s jks..ss!!!!s After tts;;s breeding
season the herds became leau densely
massed. i. The eompaot herds dissoly.
ed into groups Of from twenty 60 g
hnna ed 9r two, and the nanal neace.:
anl life e.vas resumed: $;,:x 81 Il" #
There 10 no doubt that :buffaloss I
were migratory, bus their mtgrationlatI
~ we're probably NOT nearly SO extensive
as many people lave supposed. In
their osdiaary Hauderings, bafaloes
frequently travelled far 'asa,y, from
water. but a. they became thirsty the
hesd Wonld start il, search Of !: some
spfihg 81 RAtsr ooursles..:. The ppr,inoi.
| Pal ttaifa usually extended north and
south, aad eohueessd shs fivefs which;
inths main, run cast esa Wsst. Suab
trails also ilsd @ The @gtdsa sdlt liors.
auok as tha Big Bona $Liok: ii III sken. s
tueky, which was lreqnertad3 j 81 81 bui.::
faloes is great numbers /, snps , so ths= 80. :
ginning of Tie laas aentuglrtyy,, glty, 3, when, Of
9oouree. the animal / disapp pesred Sfor-
ever from g The country aaat 81 th,e, Mis-
sissippi ii 1,s1
Consi sidering ths srast Weight j,i jo,fs stbIe
animal, TIE gallopE 81 theei; abnfalo Is 5
very elastfcI movement. 81 $Ing the
sild state the buffalo was 4 yery a,,rs
! Efeoted &, 1 q 'animal and q q good g. olimber.S Il
nat 9only ascend ia atebp no onlin,tta;ns, al,
affsi.tr M III 81 3. tSs assF,