Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-24
BUFFAlOES ON THE MARCH.
When the Line Of Great Herd and
of Body of Troops Crossed.

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The immensity "f the buffalo herds
in this region was beyond computa-
tion. one da%, south OF the Arkan-
sas, between Wichita and Camp Sup
PLY. they Wtrr ST. numerous that they
crowded the marching columns ot the
Nineteenth Kansas So dangerously
clos" that companies were detailed to
wheel out in 'front.' and fir" voileys
into the charging masses, said VIII
liam D. Street OF Decaturs county at
Il meeting of the Kansas Historical
Society
Put it MIS- hot until ! came to the
Northwestern frontier that | heheld
the main herd. one night in June.
ISt9, Company p, Second battalion.
Kansas State Militia. then out on "a
scouting expedition to protect the
frontier settlements. camped on Buf-
faio Creek, where Jewell City is now
located. All night long thu guards
reported heariu% the roar of the buff
falO herd and in the still of the bright
morning it sounded mere like distant
thunder than anything else it could be
compared With. II was the trarnpinB
.! the mighty herd and the moaning Of
the bulls.
just west ot Jewell City is a high
loin; or blum that projects south OF
the main range ol hills between Buf-
tai" and Brown creeks. now known.
We LtIi"vc, as Scarborough's Peak.
" hen the camp WAS broken me scouts
W"r" sent in advance to reconnoitrc
from the blun Is aSct rtain il possible
y At thef the column were in the prox-
unity of amy prowlins Indians. They
advanced with Srcat care, scanning the
country Tar ANA near After IL time
they Sienalird the command TO ad-
vance by way OF the hlum and awaited
our approach. When we reached the
t,p oi The blur what Il brwilding scene
4W..itrd nHr anxious gaze,
10 tEv nartltwtSt. toward the head
OF the Limestone Tor about twelve OF
fifteen miles. VII across that valley
to oak Creek about the same distance.
away to the southwest tu til" forks Of
III" solomon, past where CaWker city
now Is located, about twenty five miles
south |" the solomon river. and south
east toward where Beloit is now situ-
atrd, say fifteen or twenty miles. and
away across the Solomon river as far
the field glasses would carry the vision
toward the pluc Hills. there was a
moving. black mass oi buffalo. all
travelling to the northwest at the rate
al about one or two miles an hour.
The northeast side of the line was
about a mil, from us; all other sides,
beginning ana ending. We're underlined.
They Werc moving deliberately and
undistmbe,l. which told us that no In
,tians were in the vicinity.
We marched down and into them
few shots were fired The herd
opened as We passed through and
closed up behind us. while those to tht
WindWard ran away. That night vi
campcd behind 4 sheltered bend anG
blum of one of the branches of the
Limestone. The advance had killed
several tine animals. which were
dressed and loaded into the wagons for
our meat rations.
An night the buffalo were passing
with continual roar Guards were
doubled and every precaution taken to
prevent them from running over the
camp. The next morning we turned
our course. marching north toward
White Rock Creek. and about noon
passed out OF the herd. Looking
back from the high bluffs we gazed
long at that black mass still moving
northwest.
Many times has the question come
to my mind, How many buffaloes We're
in that herd" And the answer, no one
could tell. The herd was not less
than twenty miles i'll width-we never
saw the other side-at least sixty
miles in length and maybe much lon
ger-two counties of buffalo. There
might have been 100000 or 1000, 600 or
1ho.9o0.00a. In the cowboy days in
western Kansas we saw 1000 head Of
cattle in one roundup.
After gazing at them few mo-
ments our thoughts turned to that
buffalo herd. For a comparison.
imagine a large pail of water. take