The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-29
WAS FAMOUS BUFFALO hunter
JEFF DURFEY. WHO HAS KILLED THOUSANDS OF THEM. TELLS
OF 4 HERD THAT BRAND THE RIVER DRY. f.

see in all directions. The plain was
black with them. The herd was forty
miles wide and l don't know how long.
| was campel once on the bank of
Beaver creek. which was six feet wide
and. six inches deep with swiftly run
ming water. a buffalo herd came to
h creek above our camp inc drank
it dry. For hours the bed was dry
until the great herd of buffaloes had
passed on. In 1872 a great herd of
buffalo drank the Solomon river dry
and the water in 1t was twenty-five
feet wide and Il foo deep.
When I first came to live here in
the log house the buffalo herds used
to stream past h cabin within ten
feet of 1t. but l wouldn't shoot them
because 1 didn't want the rcasse
around in hot weather and the thou
sands of wild turkeys are better eat
ing. I've seer three hundred wild
turkeys in n drove right here on my
place. And beaver, tho Solomon was
full of them then. The last buffalo
] saw was in 1876 when Il bunch OF
two of Them
Durfey laughs when he is asked if
lie ever had n scrimmagc With the
Indians.
II saw an Indian that would
fight; they were all cowards," he
says. "A band of thirteen Sioux In
dams followed me for a whole day
once. We were hunting $50 miles
southwest Of here when eight Sioux
chased n OF u men into camp.
7 yer out to the top of Il knoll and
signaled for them to come on. Three
of them came toward me and when
they got within fifty yards they made
friendly signs and laid down their
guns. They went into camp with me
and we fed them and [ smoked a pipe
with them. Three years later I was
hunting 300 miles northwest of here
and vas out alone, when / discovered
a band of thirteen Sioux Indians
sneaking up toward me. All day long
close enough to shoot me without
danger to themselves. hut each time
stood them off. At last ! wen to the
top of a knoll and waved to them to
come on. Finally one Indian rode
out and came toward me, making
friendly signs. When he got close
he called me by name. He was n OF
the three Sioux l had fed three years
before. We sat down to have a pa
lavcr and the whole band OF twelve
was creeping up on me. I got up and
aimed my rifle at the heard of tho
Indian with me and said: Signal
them to halt or I'll kill you.' He
waved, they stopped and then l made
him march off. That hand of thir-
teen Sioux vas afraid of my rifle and
l took my time getting back to camp
The only shooting that Durfey does
now is at the wild ducks that come
to the two acre pond on his farm near
Covert creek. Around the old log
house are great walnut trees that he
planted twenty-eight years ago. The
lane to his new home is an avenue be-
tween great cottonwoods that he and
his bride set out there forty years ago.
Their two sons do the farming now
and their daughter attends to the
household duties, Wheat has made the
family wealthy.
Durfey standing with his wife at
the corner of the log house, laid his
hand affectionately on hcr shoulder.
pointed with the other hand to a wide
plain green with growing wheat and
said:
do you remember the two buffa-
10 J. shot right over there, Mary?"
ives. jeff: 1 remember that day."
Those were good old days. Mary.
when the meat came OF the hoof al
most up to the door to be killed. II
was easy living then. Mary"
"Yes, Jeff. but 1 like it better now.
The wheat has done for us and the
children what millions Of buffaloes
could never have done"