Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-05-15
BY TACETTA b. WALKER
Can Rights Reserved


Ut is HARD to vision the prairies
Astounding ia wild game. The pillow
has uShered In new scene. But
as time goes, 1t has not been 50
long since the great herds Of buff
falO r0amed freely over the vast spaces
of the then open range. Travellers were
sometimes held up for several days in
order to allow q herd Of buffalo to
pass. Steamboats,, too, we're stopped II
the river happened TO be in the line
of march OF these great shaggy backed
beasts.
w. A. Richards, former governor Of
Wyoming, gives an interesting account
of his first experience in meeting with
a herd Of buffalo. With a party Of sur
veyors, he was working on the western
plains. As the party was driving along
a ridge one afternoon, there suddenly
appeared on the ridge just across the
little intervening valley, q huge black
line possibly a half mile in length. The
leader of the party Immediately recog-
nized the black line as buffalo. 1t was
evident from the first that Ii would
be impossible for the little party of IA
to get beyond the line of the approach
ing animals. Thereupon the leader Of
the party called a halt, directed the
two wagons to be brought up close to-
gether one behind the other and the
mules to be unhitched and fastened
AAully 10 Lie UetCk WHEELS.
Ten men were selected to go forward
and attempt to split the herd. The ap-
pointed men filled their pockets with
cartridges and fastened forward where
they formed into a straight line and
began firing into the oncoming herd.
The animals which were coming at a
fast walk, broke into a gallop when the
firing started. 1t was not a pleasant
sensation to face that mass of backs
10
whelmingly toward them. Still over the
ridge they were pouring with no break
in sight.
At that moment Richards happened |
to think of Cooper's story of "Fhe /
Prairie" On that occasion the hero /
had been saved from the onrushing
herd by donkey's braying. Thinking /
that little noise would not be amiss, /
he began shouting at the top Of his !
lungs and the rest Of the party imme- /
diately followed suit. The noise of the (
shouts and the continual firing succeed +
ed in splitting the herd but this was 1
by no means the end of the trouble, /
for by now the dust was so thick they I
could scarcely see or breathe The ami
mails were crowding in closer upon them |
and 1t looked as If they might be
trampled underfoot. Step by step the /
line Of men were being forced back to- 4
ward the wagons and when it seemed (
as II they could stand the strain no
longer, daylight appeared ahead and
the end Of the herd was in sight.
300 Shots Fired-Two Dead Buffalo
When at last the herd had passed
and the dust had cleared only two buff
falo lay dead. There had been more
than 300 shots fired
The buffalo were natures provision
for the redman. Without them he would
have starved. It was not an easy mat
ter TO kill them with the guns Of that
day and how much greater skill it
must have required to kin them with
primitive bow and arrow. 1t was no
wonder that a buffalo hunt was pre-
coded by consultation with the medi-
cine men and by solemn speeches of
the braves 1t was an occasion It
meant the winters supply Of food for
the encampment
The Indians used several methods
in attacking herd OF buffalo. Dashing !
off on their nimble footed ponies, they !
would ride up hidden canyon to come