Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-07-25

ance Of their homes, foods, clothing,
bedding, tepee equipment and every
thing that satisfied their wants and
needs. In vain did the Indian bureau
make a feeble effort to drive out the
white hide hunters. They spread all
over the plains and slaughtered the
animals at their pleasure
OF the vast numbers of these great
animals on the western plains between
1850 and 1883-when the last big herd
was practically exterminated, Stats
ticians differ. but in the year, 1850.
it Is safe to state that there were
in the neighborhood Of 50,OO0,0 900 buf-
falo ranging between Manitoba and
the staked plains of Texas. Their
numbers were literally innumerable
So vast were they that the first trains
on the Union Pacific railroad were
often obliged to stop until the inn
mense herds had crossed their tracks.
Main Herds Grazing Ground
In 1871 it was not uncommon to
see herds of buffalo from 20 to so
miles in width. That same year Col.
Richard Irving Dodge, an army Of
ficer Of over 30 years experience In
Indian warfare, drove a light wagon
along the Arkansas river from Walnut
Greek to Pawnee Fork, through one
herd Of buffalo not less than Is miles
wide and extending north and south
as far as the eye could reach.
In Kansas the wide expanse of
prairie lying south of White Rock
creek and west of the Republican
river, was. until 1870, the grazing place
Of the main herd" of buffalo, and
from its appearance and location
probably had been for hundred years
or more. This scope of country, bound
ed on the east by the White Rock, on
the southwest by the Solomon, its in
terror being traversed by the Lime
stone, Buffalo, Big Timby and several
other small streams, also having with
in its boundary famous salt marsh,
made it favorite grazing place for
the buffalo
Either for protection or for some
other cause, the buffalo, according to
the old-time hunters, we're generally,
in the "palmy days" Of the slaughter,
to be found banded together in large
numbers, and after grazing upon the
prairie they would seek a stream for
water In the heat Of summer the
animals would aggregate at the larger
streams and stand in the water to
protect themselves from insect pests. |
In this manner countless numbers |
were begged down in quicksand and |
unable to work themselves back to |
shore. Shortly after dark the herd |
would again take to the prairie, to |
Craze until the following day, when |
they would again take to the stream.
While the herd ranging the prairie
grazed in an aimless way, and we're
guided in their movement |
by the scarcity of forage in one place, /
or its abundance in another, yet when /
it came to moving from one grazing |
ground to another, where the grounds |
were some distance apart, or, when
going to a stream, they always fol-
lowed an established trail.
The buffalo were but little disturbed
by the Indians during the spring and
summer months, only sufficient TO
meet their immediate needs being
killed. It was not until October or
later, when the fur was in prime con-
dition, that the great hunt was made
10 secure the winters supply of meat,
as well as to secure the hides for
tepee covers, clothing, bedding and
trading purposes.
It was when the Union Pacific rail-
road was being built, in 1869-1870 that
the real slaughter Of the buffalo be-
gan. Thousands Of men flocked to the