Year: 1859




CLEAR CREEK, May 20, 1859.
On rising our FIRST ridge this morning,
herd of Buffalo were seen grazing on
the prairie some three miles towards the
Solomon soon more were visible; then
others. At length, herd of perhaps Q
hundred appeared on the north--the only
one we saw on that side of our road dar-
ing the day. They were heading down
the valley of small creek towards tho
Solomon. just then, the tents and wag-
ons of body of encamped Pixies Peak
ers appeared just across that stream; two
men running across the prairie on foot to
get shot at the buffalo another mount
ing horse with like intent. The herd
passed on long awkward gailop north of
the tents and struck southwest across our
road some forty rods ahead of US. A.
Sharp's rife was cveled and fired at them
By one of our party, but seemed rather to
hasten than arrest their progress. BGt
one old bull shambled along behind in
knock knee fashion (having probably been
lamed by some former party); and he was
fred uton twice by our marksmen 40 he
attempted to cross the road-once when
only fifteen rods distant. They thought
they wounded him fatally, but he van-
ished from sight behind low Hill, aud
their hasty search for him proved un-
successful.


Nearly all day, the buffalo in greater
or less numbers were visible among the
bottoms of Solomon on our right-usual-
ly two or three miles distant. At length,
about s P. NJ, we reached the crest of q
divide" whence we looked down on thc
valley of creek running to the Solomon
some three miles distant, and saw the
whole region from half mile to three
miles south of our road, and for an eI-
tent Of at least four miles east and west,
fairly alive with buffalo. There certain
! ly was not less than ten thousand Of them,
and / believe there were many more.
Some were feeding, some were lying down,
others paving up the earth, rolling on il,
&c The novel spectacle was too tempt
ing for our sportsmen. The Wagons
were stopped, and two men walked quiet
ly toward the centre of the front of the
herd. Favored by watercourse, they
crept up to within fifty rods of the buffa-
10, and fired eight or ten shots into the
herd, with no visible effect. The ami
mails nearest the hunters retreated as they
advanced, but the great body Of the herd
was no more disturbed or conscious of
danger than ii a couple of mosquitoes had
alighted among them. After an hour of
fruitless effort, the hunters gave il up,
alleging that their rifles were 80 foul and
badly sighted as to be useless. They re-
joined US, and we came away, leaving
nine tenths of the vast herd exactly where
we found them. Aud there they are
doubtless sleeping at this moment, about
three miles from us.


We are near the centre of the buffalo
region The stages that met us here this
evening, report the sight ofmillions with
in the last two days. Their trails chez.
uer the prairie in every direction. A
company of Pixies Peakers killed thirteen
near this point few days since Eight
were killed yesterday at he next station
west of this by simply stampedlng herd
and driving them overa high creek bank,
where SO many broke their necks. Buf.
talo meat is hanging or lying all around
US, and q calf two or three mouths old ia
tied to a stake just beside our wagon.
He was taken by rushing herd up
steep bank, which SO many could not pos
sibly climb at once this one was picked
out in the melee as most worth having;
and taken with rope. Though fast tied
and with a fast tether, he is true game,
and makes at whoever goes near him,
with desperate intent to butt the intrud-
er over. We met or passed to-day two
parties OF Pixies Peakers, who had re-
spectively lost three oxen or steers, stam-
peded last night by herds Of buffalo. The
mules at the express station had to be
carefully watched to preserve them from
similar catastrophe-to their owners.


do not like the flesh of this wild OK.
1t is tough and not juicy. Of course I
remember that our cookery is of the most
ansophisticatcd pattern-carryingus oack
to the age of the building of the Pyra-
mids, at least-but | would much rather
see an immense herd of buffalo on the
prairie, than eat the best Of them.


The herbage hereabout 10 nearly all the
short, fine grass known as the Buffalo
grass, and is closely fed down; we are far
beyond the stakes ofthe land-surveyor-
beyond the usual haunts of white men.
The Santa Fe trail is far south of us; the
California Is considerably north. Very
probably, the buffalo on Solomon's Fork
were never hunted by white men till this
spring Should one Of these countless
herd take fancy for manhunt, our n
demen would find even the Express wag-