Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-04-05
GEE CID TIME
BUFFALO TRAILS
tF.EI, TRACES STILL VISIBLE
ON THE WESTERN
PLAINS.

PLAINS.
In ancient days in the soft chalky
soil of Kansas. these trails were
sometimes so deeply worn that the
buffalo as they passed along rubbed
their sides against the walls OF the
trail. and over the herd moving
steadily onward at a slow walk. hung
clouds Of fine dust a chalky powder
as fine as plaster of paris but yellow.
or cream colored
When undisturbed the buffalo usu-
ally travelled in single file. often the
nose of each great brute close to the
headquarters of the one ahead of
Groups OF buffalo followed establish
ed paths, ard sitting on a high hin.
overlooking some river or little
prairie lake, one often saw the
buffalo in long lines stringing I'm
from all directions For the most
part the trails led to water. or per
haps to some favorlte crossing place
on stream II they led toward a
river m/hy of them would be parai-
lei oF~hearly so, or they might con
verge toward some point where the
descent of the bluffs was gradual
and easy, for the buffalo always chose
for himself the easiest way
To-day, as one observes those
trails-memorials OF ancient days
he may wonder why they stand out
so brightly green upon a prairie that
i'm late summer is sere and yellow.
The reason is obvious. Millions of
buffalo travelling for uncounted years
over the same paths have fortified
them by their droppings. so that
the soil there is now far richer than
elsewhere on the prairie. for the
buffalo chip deposited i'm the trai
never grew dry and hard as it did
on the prairie, but was at once trod-
den into the soil and reduced TO pow
der, TO nourish a subsequent growth
OF grass.
1t is not surprising that these trails
over the hills are noted by traveller.
who are whiricd along i'm the rail
road trains OF today, nor that the,
inquire what they may mean, no
that when their significance IS eX
explained the thoughtful inquire
should consider with interest an,
wonder the broad land of the West.
L,,r loco ,,pgygor,,,c t1,., ,p,. oil,
er of the memorials that he has lief
is the buffalo wallow This wa.
simply a place where i'm the heats o
summer, or when greatly pestere,
by insects, or when worried by las
winters tattered coat which he ha,
not yet gotten rid Of the buffal
threw himself down i'm some dam
or wet place and rolled until covere,
with mud and water. The process
has often been described, and is wei
understood. The practice is not pc
culiar to the buffalo, since in tn
heats Of summer the elk, and bears
md probably many other animal
battle themselves in this fashion
Sometimes a buffalo wallowing on
soil which was white or nearly SC
emerged from his bath a white but
falo instead of black one and NOR
than once people have been deceive
by this color, and imagining tina
they saw before them an albino but
falo, have chased it and killed Il
only to find that the color came oil
on their fingers i'm white powder
Such an experience was had by CO
d. L. Brainard Of Arctic exploratio
fame. In the same way. many year
ago I became highly excited owe
what 7 believed to be a black ell
which a close inspection showed &
be merely an elk tat had been wa
lowing i'm a spring hole I'm the timbc
Sometimes. too, the buffalo comm
from such bath coated with thic
mud. dried off quickly. and the clot
of dried mud clinHng to the lon
hair of head and forIegs. ratu
curiously against each other as On
animals gallopcd away. to the myst
fcation Of any inexperienced pursuc
Forest and Stream.