The Ely miner., 1933-01-06

"Of the vast numbers of these great animals
on the western plains between 1850 and 1888
when the last big herd was practically exter-
minated statisticians differ but in the year 1850
1t is safe to state that there were in the neigh
borhood of 100000 buffalo ranging between
Manitoba and the staked plains of Texas Their
numbers were literally innumerable So vast
were they that the first trains the Union Pa
cifc railroad were often obliged to stop until
the immense herds had crossed their tracks
"In 1871 it was not uncommon to see herds
ct buffalo from 20 to so miles in width. That
same year Col. Richard Irving Dodge an army
officer of over 80 years experience in Indian
warfare, drove in light wagon along the Ar
kansas river from Walnut Creek TO Pawnee Fork,
through one herd of buffalo not less than 25
miles wide and extending north and south as far
as the eye could reach.
at was when the Union Pacific railroad was
being built in 1S69-70 that the real slaughter
of the buffalo began. Thousands Of men hocked
to the plains to enter this new and novel in
dustry,' and so countless were the hides which
were thrown upon the market that the price
dwindled from 81 and s5 each to as low as ST.
"At one time 10000 buffalo hides was stacked
In a corral at Dodge City, Kan, awaiting ship
ment. The hide hunters took only the skin, leav-
ing the carcass to rot while thousands Of men
be it said TO their disgrace-slaughtered buf-
falo for the mere wanton pleasure Of killing
statistics gathered by Major Henry Inman
show that from 1868 to 1881, a period Of 13
years. there was paid out in Kansas alone, ST.
100000 for buffalo bones gathered on the prairies
to be utilized by the various carbon works of the
country. It required about 100 carcasses to make
one ton Of bones the average price paid being
about So ton, and the sum mentioned repre-
sents the skeletons Of over 31,0OO,0O0 Of buf-
falo! And this is from but one state!
zone night early In the eos, Gen. Phil Sher-
idan and Major Inman were occupying the Office
of Robert NJ. Wright, prominent business man
of Dodge City, Kan. They had just made a
trip from Camp Supply, and Mr.. Wright was
called into the Office to consult with the officers
as to the probable number Of buffalo between
Dodge City and Camp Supply. Taking strip 80
miles east and 80 miles west, they had first
made an estimate of 100000 General Sher-
idan said: That won't do. They figured while
longer and finally made it 1,000000000. Finally
they reached the conclusion that there must be
1O0OO0OO0 but said they were afraid TO give
out those figures lest they be accused of pre-
varicating But they stated that they believed
it, nevertheless.
1.-THE completion of the western railroad div
fded the buffalo into two immense herds-the
northern and the southern. The southern herd
In 1871 was estimated at 100000, and was be-
ing diminished at the rate of 5000 to 1000 a
day. Robert Wright and Charles Rath of Dodge
City shipped over 100000 buffalo hides the first
winter the A. T & S. T. railroad reached Dodge,
and they estimated that other parties shipped
as many more. Besides these hides there were
200 cars of hind quarters and two cars tongues
alone shipped.
"The Santa Fe Railroad company compiled
the following table showing the shipments made
over their line as well as the Union Pacific and
Kansas Pacific roads: