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The Exploration.
During the first three months of the year 1886 it was ascertained by
the writer, then chief taxidermist of the National Museum, that the
extermination of the American bison had made most alarming progress.
By extensive correspondence it was learned that the destruction of
all the large herds, both North and South, was already an
accomplished fact. While it was generally supposed that at least a
few thousand individuals still inhabited the more remote and
inaccessible regions of what once constituted the great northern
buffalo range, it was found that the actual number remaining in the
whole United States was probably less than three hundred.
By some authorities who were consulted it was considered an
impossibility to procure a large series of specimens anywhere in
this country, while others asserted positively that there were no
wild buffaloes south of the British possessions save those in the
Yellowstone National Park. Canadian authorities asserted with equal
positiveness that none remained in their territory.
A careful inventory of the specimens in the collection of the
National Museum revealed the fact that, with the exception of one
mounted female skin, another unmounted, and one mounted skeleton of
a male buffalo, the Museum was actually without presentable
specimens of this most important and interesting mammal.
Besides those mentioned above, the collection contained only two
old, badly mounted, and dilapidated skins, (one of which had been
taken in summer, and therefore was not representative), an
incomplete skeleton, some fragmentary skulls of no value, and two
mounted heads. Thus it appeared that the Museum was unable to show a
series of specimens, good or bad, or even one presentable male of
good size.
In view of this alarming state of affairs, coupled with the
already declared extinction of Bison americanus, the Secretary of
the Smithsonian Institution, Prof. Spencer F. Baird, determined to
send a party into the field at once to find wild buffalo, if any
were still living, and in case any were found to collect a number of
specimens. Since it seemed highly uncertain whether any other
institution, or any private individual, would have the opportunity
to collect a large supply of specimens before it became too late, it
was decided by the Secretary that the Smithsonian Institution should
undertake the task of providing for the future as liberally as
possible. For the benefit of the smaller scientific museums of the
country, and for others which will come into existence during the
next half century, it was resolved to collect at all hazards, in
case buffalo could be found, between eighty and one hundred
specimens of various kinds, of which from twenty to thirty should be
skins, an equal number should be complete skeletons, and of skulls
at least fifty.
In view of the great scarcity of buffalo and the general belief that
it might be a work of some months to find any specimens, even if it
were possible to find any at all, it was determined not to risk the
success of the undertaking by delaying it until the regular autumn
hunting season, but to send a party into the field at once to
prosecute a search. It was resolved to discover at all hazards the
whereabouts of any buffalo that might still remain in this country
in a wild state, and, if possible, to reach them before the shedding
of their winter pelage. It very soon became apparent, however, that
the latter would prove an utter impossibility.
Late in the month of April a letter was received from Dr. J. C.
Merrill, United States Army, dated at Huntley, Montana, giving
information of reports that buffalo were still to be found in three
localities in the Northwest, viz: on the headwaters of the Powder
River, Wyoming; in Judith Basin, Montana; and on Big Dry Creek, also
in Montana. The reports in regard to the first two localities proved
to be erroneous. It was ascertained to a reasonable certainty that
there still existed in southwestern Dakota a small band of six or
eight wild buffaloes, while from the Pan-handle of Texas there came
reports of the existence there, in small scattered hands, of about
two hundred head. The buffalo known to be in Dakota were far too few
in number to justify a long and expensive search, while those in
Texas, on the Canadian River, were too difficult to reach to make it
advisable to hunt them save as a last resort. It was therefore
decided to investigate the localities named in the Northwest.
Through the courtesy of the Secretary of War, an order was sent to
the officer commanding the Department of Dakota, requesting him to
furnish the party, through the officers in command at Forts Keogh,
Maginnis, and McKinney, such field transportation, escort, and camp
equipage as might be necessary, and also to sell to the party such
commissary stores as might be required, at cost price, plus 10 per
cent. The Secretary of the Interior also favored the party with an
order, directing all Indian agents, scouts, and others in the
service of the Department to render assistance as far as possible
when called upon.
In view of the public interest attaching to the results of the
expedition, the railway transportation of the party to and from
Montana was furnished entirely without cost to the Smithsonian
Institution. For these valuable courtesies we gratefully acknowledge
our obligations to Mr. Frank Thomson, of the Pennsylvania Railroad;
Mr. Roswell Miller, of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul; and Mr.
Robert Harris, of the Northern Pacific.
Under orders from the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the
writer left Washington on May 6, accompanied by A. H. Forney,
assistant in the department of taxidermy, and George H. Hedley, of
Medina, New York. It had been decided that Miles City, Montana,
might properly be taken as the first objective point, and that town
was reached on May 9.
Diligent inquiry in Miles City and at Fort Keogh, 2 miles distant,
revealed the fact that no one knew of the presence of any wild
buffalo anywhere in the Northwest, save within the protected limits
of the Yellowstone Park. All inquiries elicited the same reply:
"There are no buffalo any more, and you can't get any anywhere."
Many persons who were considered good authority declared most
positively that there was not a live buffalo in the vicinity of Big
Dry Creek, nor anywhere between the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers.
An army officer from Fort Maginnis testified to the total absence of
buffalo in the Judith Basin, and ranchmen from Wyoming asserted that
none remained in the Powder River country.
Just at this time it was again reported to us, and most
opportunely confirmed by Mr. Henry E. Phillips, owner of the LU-bar
ranch on Little Dry Creek, that there still remained a chance to
find a few buffalo in the country lying south of the Big Dry. On the
other hand, other persons who seemed to be fully informed regarding
that very region and the animal life it contained, assured us that
not a single buffalo remained there, and that a search in that
direction would prove fruitless. But the balance of evidence,
however, seemed to lie in favor of the Big Dry country, and we
resolved to hunt through it with all possible dispatch.
On the afternoon of May 13 we crossed the Yellowstone and started
northwest up the trail which leads along Sunday Creek. Our entire
party consisted of the two assistants already mentioned, a
non-commissioned officer, Sergeant Garone, and four men from the
Fifth Infantry acting as escort; Private Jones, also from the Fifth
Infantry, detailed to act as our cook, and a teamster. Our
conveyance consisted of a six-mule team, which, like the escort, was
ordered out for twenty days only, and provided accordingly. Before
leaving Miles City we purchased two saddle-horses for use in
hunting, the equipments for which were furnished by the ordnance
department at Fort Keogh.
During the first two days' travel through the bad lands north of the
Yellowstone no mammals were seen save prairie-dogs and rabbits. On
the third day a few antelope were seen, but none killed. It is to be
borne in mind that this entire region is absolutely treeless
everywhere save along the margins of the largest streams. Bushes are
also entirely absent, with the exception of sage-brush, and even
that does not occur to any extent on the divides.
On the third day two young buck antelopes were shot at the Red
Buttes. One had already commenced to shed his hair, but the other
had not quite reached that point. We prepared the skin of the first
specimen and the skeleton of the other. This was the only good
antelope skin we obtained in the spring, those of all the other
specimens taken being quite worthless on account of the looseness of
the hair. During the latter part of May, and from that time on until
the long winter hair is completely shed, it falls off in handfuls at
the slightest pressure, leaving the skin clad only with a thin
growth of new, mouse-colored hair an eighth of an inch long.
After reaching Little Dry Creek and hunting through the country on
the west side of it nearly to its confluence with the Big Dry we
turned southwest, and finally went into permanent camp on Phillips
Creek, 8 miles above the LU-bar ranch and 4 miles from the Little
Dry. At that point we were about 80 miles from Miles City.
From information furnished us by Mr. Phillips and the cowboys in his
employ, we were assured that about thirty-five head of buffalo
ranged in the bad lands between Phillips Creek and the Musselshell
River and south of the Big Dry. This tract of country was about 40
miles long from east to west by 25 miles wide, and therefore of
about 1,000 square miles in area. Excepting two temporary cowboy
camps it was totally uninhabited by man, treeless, without any
running streams, save in winter and spring, and was mostly very
hilly and broken.
In this desolate and inhospitable country the thirty-five buffaloes
alluded to had been seen, first on Sand Creek, then at the head of
the Big Porcupine, again near the Musselshell, and latest near the
head of the Little Dry. As these points were all from 15 to 30 miles
distant from each other, the difficulty of finding such a small herd
becomes apparent.
Although Phillips Creek was really the eastern boundary of the
buffalo country, it was impossible for a six-mule wagon to proceed
beyond it, at least at that point. Having established a permanent
camp, the Government wagon and its escort returned to Fort Keogh,
and we proceeded to hunt through the country between Sand Creek and
the Little Dry. The absence of nearly all the cowboys on the spring
round-up, which began May 20, threatened to be a serious drawback to
us, as we greatly needed the services of a man who was acquainted
with the country. We had with us as a scout and guide a Cheyenne
Indian, named Dog, but it soon became apparent that he knew no more
about the country than we did. Fortunately, however, we succeeded in
occasionally securing the services of a cowboy, which was of great
advantage to us.
It was our custom to ride over the country daily, each day making
a circuit through a new locality, and covering as much ground as it
was possible to ride over in a day. It was also our custom to take
trips of from two to four days in length, during which we carried
our blankets and rations upon our horses and camped wherever night
overtook us, provided water could be found.
Our first success consisted in the capture of a buffalo calf, which
from excessive running had become unable to keep up with its mother,
and had been left behind. The calf was caught alive without any
difficulty, and while two of the members of our party carried it to
camp across a horse, the other two made a vigorous effort to
discover the band of adult animals. The effort was unsuccessful,
for, besides the calf, no other buffaloes were seen.
Ten days after the above event two bull buffaloes were met with on
the Little Dry, 15 miles above the LU-bar ranch, one of which was
overtaken and killed, but the other got safely away. The shedding of
the winter coat was in full progress. On the head, neck, and
shoulders the old hair had been entirely replaced by the new,
although the two coats were so matted together that the old hair
clung in tangled masses to the other. The old hair was brown and
weather-beaten, but the new, which was from 3 to 6 inches long, had
a peculiar bluish-gray appearance. On the head the new hair was
quite black, and contrasted oddly with the lighter color. On the
body and hind quarters there were large patches of skin which were
perfectly bare, between which lay large patches of old, woolly,
brown hair. This curious condition gave the animal a very unkempt
and "seedy" appearance, the effect of which was heightened by the
long, shaggy locks of old, weather beaten hair which clung to the
new coat of the neck and shoulders like tattered signals of
distress, ready to be blown away by the first gust of wind.
This specimen was a large one, measuring 5 feet 4 inches in height.
Inasmuch as the skin was not in condition to mount, we took only the
skeleton, entire, and the skin of the head and neck.
The capture of the calf and the death of this bull proved
conclusively that there were buffaloes in that region, and also that
they were breeding in comparative security. The extent of the
country they had to range over made it reasonably certain that their
number would not be diminished to any serious extent by the cowboys
on the spring round-up, although it was absolutely certain that in a
few months the members of that band would all be killed. The report
of the existence of a herd of thirty-five head was confirmed later
by cowboys, who had actually seen the animals, and killed two of
them merely for sport, as usual. They saved a few pounds of hump
meat, and all the rest became food for the wolves and foxes.
It was therefore resolved to leave the buffaloes entirely unmolested
until autumn, and then, when the robes would be in the finest
condition, return for a hunt on a liberal scale. Accordingly, it was
decided to return to Washington without delay, and a courier was
dispatched with a request for transportation to carry our party back
to Fort Keogh.
While awaiting the arrival of the wagons, a cowboy in the employ of
the Phillips Land and Cattle Company killed a solitary bull buffalo
about 15 miles west of our camp, near Sand Creek. This animal had
completely shed the hair on his body and hind quarters. In addition
to the preservation of his entire skeleton, we prepared the skin
also, as an example of the condition of the buffalo immediately
after shedding.
On June 6 the teams from Fort Keogh arrived, and we immediately
returned to Miles City, taking with us our live buffalo calf, two
fresh buffalo skeletons, three bleached skeletons, seven skulls, one
skin entire, and one head skin, in addition to a miscellaneous
collection of skins and skeletons of smaller mammals and birds. On
reaching Miles City we hastily packed and shipped our collection,
and, taking the calf with us, returned at once to Washington.
The Hunt
On September 24 I arrived at Miles City a second time, fully
equipped for a protracted hunt for buffalo; this time accompanied
only by W. Harvey Brown, a student of the University of Kansas, as
field assistant, having previously engaged three cowboys as guides
and hunters-Irwin Boyd, James McNaney, and L. S. Russell. Messrs.
Boyd and Russell were in Miles City awaiting my arrival, and Mr.
McNaney joined us in the field a few days later. Mr. Boyd acted as
my foreman during the entire hunt, a position which he filled to my
entire satisfaction.
Thanks to the energy and good-will of the officers at Fort Keogh, of
which Lieutenant-Colonel Cochran was then in command, our
transportation, camp equipage, and stores were furnished without an
hour's delay. We purchased two months' supplies of commissary
stores, a team, and two saddle-horses, and hired three more horses,
a light wagon, and a set of double harness. Each of the cowboys
furnished one horse; so that in our outfit we had ten head, a team,
and two good saddle-horses for each hunter. The worst feature of the
whole question of subsistence was the absolute necessity of hauling
a supply of grain from Miles City into the heart of the buffalo
country for our ten horses. For such work as they had to encounter
it was necessary to feed them constantly and liberally with oats in
order to keep them in condition to do their work. We took with us
2,000 pounds of oats, and by the beginning of November as much more
had to be hauled up to us.
Thirty six hours after our arrival in Miles City our outfit was
complete, and we crossed the Yellowstone and started up the Sunday
Creek trail. We had from Fort Keogh a six-mule team, an escort of
four men, in charge of Sergeant Bayliss, and an old veteran of more
than twenty years' service, from the Fifth Infantry, Private Patrick
McCanna, who was detailed to act as cook and camp-guard for our
party during our stay in the field.
On September 29 we reached Tow's ranch, the HV, on Big Dry Creek
(erroneously called Big Timber Creek on most maps of Montana), at
the mouth of Sand Creek, which here flows into it from the
southwest. This point is said to be 90 miles from Miles City. Here
we received our freight from the six-mule wagon, loaded it with
bleached skeletons and skulls of buffalo, and started it back to the
post. One member of the escort, Private C. S. West, who was then on
two months' furlough, elected to join our party for the hunt, and
accordingly remained with us to its [Pg 535]close. Leaving half of
our freight stored at the HV ranch, we loaded the remainder upon our
own wagon, and started up Sand Creek.
Sketch Map of the Hunt for Buffalo. Montana 1886
At this point the hunt began. As the wagon and extra horses
proceeded up the Sand Creek trail in the care of W. Harvey Brown,
the three cowboys and I paired off, and while two hunted through the
country along the south side of the creek, the others took the
north. The whole of the country bordering Sand Creek, quite up to
its source, consists of rugged hills and ridges, which sometimes
rise to considerable height, cut between by great yawning ravines
and hollows, such as persecuted game loves to seek shelter in.
Inasmuch as the buffalo we were in search of had been seen hiding in
those ravines, it became necessary to search through them with
systematic thoroughness; a proceeding which was very wearing upon
our horses. Along the south side of Sand Creek, near its source, the
divide between it and Little Dry Creek culminates in a chain of
high, flat-topped buttes, whose summits bear a scanty growth of
stunted pines, which serve to make them conspicuous landmarks. On
some maps these insignificant little buttes are shown as mountains,
under the name of "Piny Buttes."
It was our intention to go to the head of Sand Creek, and beyond, in
case buffaloes were not found earlier. Immediately westward of its
source there is a lofty level plateau, about 3 miles square, which,
by common consent, we called the High Divide. It is the highest
ground anywhere between the Big Dry and the Yellowstone, and is the
starting point of streams that run northward into the Missouri and
Big Dry, eastward into Sand Creek and the Little Dry, southward into
Porcupine Creek and the Yellowstone, and westward into the
Musselshell. On three sides-north, east, and south-it is surrounded
by wild and rugged butte country, and its sides are scored by
intricate systems of great yawning ravines and hollows, steep-sided
and very deep, and bad lands of the worst description.
By the 12th of October the hunt had progressed up Sand Creek to its
source, and westward across the High Divide to Calf Creek, where we
found a hole of wretchedly bad water and went into permanent camp.
We considered that the spot we selected would serve us as a key to
the promising country that lay on three sides of it, and our surmise
that the buffalo were in the habit of hiding in the heads of those
great ravines around the High Divide soon proved to be correct. Our
camp at the head of Calf Creek was about 20 miles east of the
Musselshell River, 40 miles south of the Missouri, and about 135
miles from Miles City, as the trail ran. Four miles north of us,
also on Calf Creek, was the line camp of the STV ranch, owned by
Messrs. J. H. Conrad & Co., and 18 miles east, near the head of Sand
Creek, was the line camp of the N-bar ranch, owned by Mr. Newman. At
each of these camps there were generally from two to four cowboys.
From all these gentlemen we received the utmost courtesy and
hospitality on all occasions, and all the information in regard to
buffalo which it was in their power to give. On many occasions they
rendered us valuable assistance, which is hereby gratefully
acknowledged.
We saw no buffalo, nor any signs of any, until October 13. On that
day, while L. S. Russell was escorting our second load of freight
across the High Divide, he discovered a band of seven buffaloes
lying in the head of a deep ravine. He fired upon them, but killed
none, and when they dashed away he gave chase and followed them 2 or
3 miles. Being mounted on a tired horse, which was unequal to the
demands of the chase, he was finally distanced by the herd, which
took a straight course and ran due south. As it was then nearly
night, nothing further could be done that day except to prepare for
a vigorous chase on the morrow. Everything was got in perfect
readiness for an early start, and by daybreak the following morning
the three cowboys and the writer were mounted on our best horses,
and on our way through the bad lands to take up the trail of the
seven buffaloes.
Shortly after sunrise we found the trail, not far from the head of
Calf Creek, and followed it due south. We left the rugged butte
region behind us, and entered a tract of country quite unlike
anything we had found before. It was composed of a succession of
rolling hills and deep hollows, smooth enough on the surface, to all
appearances, but like a desert of sand-hills to traverse. The dry
soil was loose and crumbly, like loose ashes or scoriae, and the
hoofs of our horses sank into it half-way to the fetlocks at every
step. But there was another feature which was still worse. The whole
surface of the ground was cracked and seamed with a perfect net-work
of great cracks, into which our horses stepped every yard or so, and
sank down still farther, with many a tiresome wrench of the joints.
It was terrible ground to go over. To make it as bad as possible, a
thick growth of sage-brush or else grease-wood was everywhere
present for the horses to struggle through, and when it came to
dragging a loaded wagon across that 12-mile stretch of "bad grounds"
or "gumbo ground," as it was called, it was killing work.
But in spite of the character of this ground, in one way it was a
benefit to us. Owing to its looseness on the surface we were able to
track the buffaloes through it with the greatest ease, whereas on
any other ground in that country it would have been almost
impossible. We followed the trail due south for about 20 miles,
which brought us to the head of a small stream called Taylor Creek.
Here the bad grounds ended, and in the grassy country which lay
beyond, tracking was almost impossible. Just at noon we rode to a
high point, and on scanning the hills and hollows with the binocular
discovered the buffaloes lying at rest on the level top of a small
butte 2 miles away. The original bunch of seven had been joined by
an equal number.
We crept up to within 200 yards of the buffaloes, which was as close
as we could go, fired a volley at them just as they lay, and did not
even kill a calf! Instantly they sprang up and dashed away at
astonishing speed, heading straight for the sheltering ravines
around the High Divide.
We had a most exciting and likewise dangerous chase after the
herd through a vast prairie-dog town, honey-combed with holes just
right for a running horse to thrust a leg in up to the knee and snap
it off like a pipe-stem, and across fearfully wide gullies that
either had to be leaped or fallen into. McNaney killed a fine old
bull and a beautiful two year old, or "spike" bull, out of this
herd, while I managed to kill a cow and another large old bull,
making four for that day, all told. This herd of fourteen head was
the largest that we saw during the entire hunt.
Two days later, when we were on the spot with the wagon to skin our
game and haul in the hides, four more buffaloes were discovered
within 2 miles of us, and while I worked on one of the large bull
skins to save it from spoiling, the cowboys went after the buffalo,
and by a really brilliant exploit killed them all. The first one to
fall was an old cow, which was killed at the beginning of the chase,
the next was an old bull, who was brought down about 5 miles from
the scene of the first attack, then 2 miles farther on a yearling
calf was killed. The fourth buffalo, an immense old bull, was chased
fully 12 miles before he was finally brought down.
The largest bull fell about 8 miles from our temporary camp, in the
opposite direction from that in which our permanent camp lay, and at
about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. There not being time enough in
which to skin him completely and reach our rendezvous before dark,
Messrs. McNaney and Boyd dressed the carcass to preserve the meat,
partly skinned the legs, and came to camp.
As early as possible the next morning we drove to the carcass with
the wagon, to prepare both skin and skeleton and haul them in. When
we reached it we found that during the night a gang of Indians had
robbed us of our hard-earned spoil. They had stolen the skin and all
the eatable meat, broken up the leg-bones to get at the marrow, and
even cut out the tongue. And to injury the skulking thieves had
added insult. Through laziness they had left the head unskinned, but
on one side of it they had smeared the hair with red war-paint, the
other side they had daubed with yellow, and around the base of one
horn they had tied a strip of red flannel as a signal of defiance.
Of course they had left for parts unknown, and we never saw any
signs of them afterward. The gang visited the LU-bar ranch a few
days later, so we learned subsequently. It was then composed of
eleven braves(!), who claimed to be Assinniboines, and were
therefore believed to be Piegans, the most notorious horse and
cattle thieves in the Northwest.
On October 22d Mr. Russell ran down in a fair chase a fine bull
buffalo, and killed him in the rough country bordering the High
Divide on the south. This was the ninth specimen. On the 26th we
made an other trip with the wagon to the Buffalo Buttes, as, for the
sake of convenience, we had named the group of buttes near which
eight head had already been taken. While Mr. Brown and I were
getting the wagon across the bad grounds, Messrs. McNaney and Boyd
discovered a solitary bull buffalo feeding in a ravine within a
quarter of a mile of our intended camping place, and the former
stalked him and killed him at long range. The buffalo had all been
attracted to that locality by some springs which lay between two
groups of hills, and which was the only water within a radius of
about 15 miles. In addition to water, the grass around the Buffalo
Buttes was most excellent.
During all this time we shot antelope and coyotes whenever an
opportunity offered, and preserved the skins and skeletons of the
finest until we had obtained a very fine series of both. At this
season the pelts of these animals were in the finest possible
condition, the hair having attained its maximum length and density,
and, being quite new, had lost none of its brightness of color,
either by wear or the action of the weather. Along Sand Creek and
all around the High Divide antelope were moderately plentiful (but
really scarce in comparison with their former abundance), so much so
that had we been inclined to slaughter we could have killed a
hundred head or more, instead of the twenty that we shot as
specimens and for their flesh. We have it to say that from first to
last not an antelope was killed which was not made use of to the
fullest extent.
On the 31st of October, Mr. Boyd and I discovered a buffalo cow and
yearling calf in the ravines north of the High Divide, within 3
miles of our camp, and killed them both. The next day Private West
arrived with a six mule team from Fort Keogh, in charge of Corporal
Clafer and three men. This wagon brought us another 2,000 pounds of
oats and various commissary stores. When it started back, on
November 3, we sent by it all the skins and skeletons of buffalo,
antelope, etc., which we had collected up to that date, which made a
heavy load for the six mules. On this same day Mr. McNaney killed
two young cow buffaloes in the bad lands south of the High Divide,
which brought our total number up to fourteen.
On the night of the 3d the weather turned very cold, and on the day
following we experienced our first snow-storm. By that time the
water in the hole, which up to that time had supplied our camp,
became so thick with mud and filth that it was unendurable; and
having discovered a fine pool of pure water in the bottom of a
little cañon on the southern slope of the High Divide we moved to it
forthwith. It was really the upper spring of the main fork of the
Big Porcupine, and a finer situation for a camp does not exist in
that whole region. The spot which nature made for us was sheltered
on all sides by the high walls of the cañon, within easy reach of an
inexhaustible supply of good water, and also within reach of a fair
supply of dry fire-wood, which we found half a mile below. This
became our last permanent camp, and its advantages made up for the
barrenness and discomfort of our camp on Calf Creek. Immediately
south of us, and 2 miles distant there rose a lofty conical butte
about 600 feet high, which forms a very conspicuous landmark from
the south. We were told that it was visible from 40 miles down the
Porcupine. Strange to say, this valuable landmark was without a
name, so far as we could learn; so, for our own convenience, we
christened it Smithsonian Butte.
The two buffalo cows that Mr. McNaney killed just before we moved
our camp seemed to be the last in the country, for during the
following week we scouted for 15 miles in three directions, north,
east, and south, without finding as much as a hoof-print. At last we
decided to go away and give that country absolute quiet for a week,
in the hope that some more buffalo would come into it. Leaving
McCanna and West to take care of the camp, we loaded a small
assortment of general equipage into the wagon and pulled about 25
miles due west to the Musselshell River.
We found a fine stream of clear water, flowing over sand and
pebbles, with heavy cottonwood timber and thick copses of willow
along its banks, which afforded cover for white-tailed deer. In the
rugged brakes, which led from the level river bottom into a
labyrinth of ravines and gullies, ridges and hog-backs, up to the
level of the high plateau above, we found a scanty growth of stunted
cedars and pines, which once sheltered great numbers of mule deer,
elk, and bear. Now, however, few remain, and these are very hard to
find. Even when found, the deer are nearly always young. Although we
killed five mule deer and five white-tails, we did not kill even one
fine buck, and the only one we saw on the whole trip was a long
distance off. We saw fresh tracks of elk, and also grizzly bear, but
our most vigorous efforts to discover the animals themselves always
ended in disappointment. The many bleaching skulls and antlers of
elk and deer, which we found everywhere we went, afforded proof of
what that country had been as a home for wild animals only a few
years ago. We were not a little surprised at finding the fleshless
carcasses of three head of cattle that had been killed and eaten by
bears within a few months.
In addition to ten deer, we shot three wild geese, seven
sharp-tailed grouse, eleven sage grouse, nine Bohemian waxwings, and
a magpie, for their skeletons. We made one trip of several miles up
the Musselshell, and another due west, almost to the Bull Mountains,
but no signs of buffalo were found. The weather at this time was
quite cold, the thermometer registering 6 degrees below zero; but,
in spite of the fact that we were without shelter and had to bivouac
in the open, we were, generally speaking, quite comfortable.
Having found no buffalo by the 17th, we felt convinced that we ought
to return to our permanent camp, and did so on that day. Having
brought back nearly half a wagon-load of specimens in the flesh or
half skinned, it was absolutely necessary that I should remain at
camp all the next day. While I did so, Messrs. McNaney and Boyd rode
over to the Buffalo Buttes, found four fine old buffalo cows, and,
after a hard chase, killed them all.
Under the circumstances, this was the most brilliant piece of work
of the entire hunt. As the four cows dashed past the hunters at the
Buffalo Buttes, heading for the High Divide, fully 20 miles distant,
McNaney killed one cow, and two others went off wounded. Of course
the cowboys gave chase. About 12 miles from the starting-point one
of the wounded cows left her companions, was headed off by Boyd, and
killed. About 6 miles beyond that one, McNaney overhauled the third
cow and killed her, but the fourth one got away for a short time.
While McNaney skinned the third cow and dressed the carcass to
preserve the meat, Boyd took their now thoroughly exhausted horses
to camp and procured fresh mounts. On returning to McNaney they set
out in pursuit of the fourth cow, chased her across the High Divide,
within a mile or so of our camp, and into the ravines on the
northern slope, where she was killed. She met her death nearly if
not quite 25 miles from the spot where the first one fell.
The death of these four cows brought our number of buffaloes up to
eighteen, and made us think about the possibilities of getting
thirty. As we were proceeding to the Buffalo Buttes on the day after
the "kill" to gather in the spoil, Mr. Brown and I taking charge of
the wagon, Messrs. McNaney and Boyd went ahead in order to hunt.
When within about 5 miles of the Buttes we came unexpectedly upon
our companions, down in a hollow, busily engaged in skinning another
old cow, which they had discovered traveling across the bad grounds,
waylaid, and killed.
We camped that night on our old ground at the Buffalo Buttes, and
although we all desired to remain a day or two and hunt for more
buffalo, the peculiar appearance of the sky in the northwest, and
the condition of the atmosphere, warned us that a change of weather
was imminent. Accordingly, the following morning we decided without
hesitation that it was best to get back to camp that day, and it
soon proved very fortunate for us that we so decided.
Feeling that by reason of my work on the specimens I had been
deprived of a fair share of the chase, I arranged for Mr. Boyd to
accompany the wagon on the return trip, that I might hunt through
the bad lands west of the Buffalo Buttes, which I felt must contain
some buffalo. Mr. Russell went northeast and Mr. McNaney accompanied
me. About 4 miles from our late camp we came suddenly upon a fine
old solitary bull, feeding in a hollow between two high and
precipitous ridges. After a short but sharp chase I succeeded in
getting a fair shot at him, and killed him with a ball which broke
his left humerus and passed into his lungs. He was the only large
bull killed on the entire trip by a single shot. He proved to be a
very fine specimen, measuring 5 feet 6 inches in height at the
shoulders. The wagon was overtaken and called back to get the skin,
and while it was coming I took a complete series of measurements and
sketches of him as he lay.
Although we removed the skin very quickly, and lost no time in again
starting the wagon to our permanent camp, the delay occasioned by
the death of our twentieth buffalo, which occurred on November 20,
precisely two months from the date of our leaving Washington to
collect twenty buffalo, it possible,-caused us all to be caught in a
snow-storm, which burst upon us from the northwest. The wagon had to
be abandoned about 12 miles from camp in the bad lands. Mr. Brown
packed the bedding on one of the horses and rode the other, he and
Boyd reaching camp about 9 o'clock that night in a blinding
snow-storm. Of coarse the skins in the wagon were treated with
preservatives and covered up. It proved to be over a week that the
wagon and its load had to remain thus abandoned before it was
possible to get to it and bring it to camp, and even then the task
was one of great difficulty. In this connection I can not refrain
from recording the fact that the services rendered by Mr. W. Harvey
Brown on all such trying occasions as the above were invaluable. He
displayed the utmost zeal and intelligence, not only in the more
agreeable kinds of work and sport incident to the hunt, but also in
the disagreeable drudgery, such as team-driving and working on
half-frozen specimens in bitter cold weather.
The storm which set in on the 20th soon developed into a regular
blizzard. A fierce and bitter cold wind swept down from the
northwest, driving the snow before it in blinding gusts. Had our
camp been poorly sheltered we would have suffered, but at it was we
were fairly comfortable.
Having thus completed our task (of getting twenty buffaloes), we
were anxious to get out of that fearful country before we should get
caught in serious difficulties with the weather, and it was arranged
that Private C. S. West should ride to Fort Keogh as soon as
possible, with a request for transportation. By the third day,
November 23, the storm had abated sufficiently that Private West
declared his willingness to start. It was a little risky, but as he
was to make only 10 miles the first day and stop at the N-bar camp
on Sand Creek, it was thought safe to let him go. He dressed himself
warmly, took my revolver, in order not to be hampered with a rifle,
and set out.
The next day was clear and fine, and we remarked it as an assurance
of Mr. West's safety during his ride from Sand Creek to the LU-bar
ranch, his second stopping-place. The distance was about 25 miles,
through bad lands all the way, and it was the only portion of the
route which caused me anxiety for our courier's safety. The snow on
the levels was less than 6 inches deep, the most of it having been
blown into drifts and hollows; but although the coulées were all
filled level to the top, our courier was a man of experience and
would know how to avoid them.
The 25th day of November was the most severe day of the storm, the
mercury in our sheltered cañon sinking to -16 degrees. We had hoped
to kill at least five more buffaloes by the time Private West should
arrive with the wagons; but when at the end of a week the storm had
spent itself, the snow was so deep that hunting was totally
impossible save in the vicinity of camp, where there was nothing to
kill. We expected the wagons by the 3d of December, but they did not
come that day nor within the next three. By the 6th the snow had
melted off sufficiently that a buffalo hunt was once more possible,
and Mr. McNaney and I decided to make a final trip to the Buffalo
Buttes. The state of the ground made it impossible for us to go
there and return the same day, so we took a pack-horse and arranged
to camp out.
When a little over half-way to our old rendezvous we came upon
three buffaloes in the bad grounds, one of which was an enormous old
bull, the next largest was an adult cow, and the third a
two-year-old heifer. Mr. McNaney promptly knocked down the old cow,
while I devoted my attention to the bull; but she presently got up
and made off unnoticed at the precise moment Mr. McNaney was
absorbed in watching my efforts to bring down the old bull. After a
short chase my horse carried me alongside my buffalo, and as he
turned toward me I gave him a shot through the shoulder, breaking
the fore leg and bringing him promptly to the ground. I then turned
immediately to pursue the young cow, but by that time she had got on
the farther side of a deep gully which was filled with snow, and by
the time I got my horse safely across she had distanced me. I then
rode back to the old bull. When he saw me coming he got upon his
feet and ran a short distance, but was easily overtaken. He then
stood at bay, and halting within 30 yards of him I enjoyed the rare
opportunity of studying a live bull buffalo of the largest size on
foot on his native heath. I even made an outline sketch of him in my
note-book. Having studied his form and outlines as much as was
really necessary, I gave him a final shot through the lungs, which
soon ended his career.
This was a truly magnificent specimen in every respect. He was a
"stub-horn" bull, about eleven years old, much larger every way than
any of the others we collected. His height at the shoulder was 5
feet 8 inches perpendicular, or 2 inches more than the next largest
of our collection. His hair was in remarkably fine condition, being
long, fine, thick, and well colored. The hair in his frontlet is 16
inches in length, and the thick coat of shaggy, straw-colored tufts
which covered his neck and shoulders measured 4 inches. His girth
behind the fore leg was 8 feet 4 inches, and his weight was
estimated at 1,600 pounds.
This site includes some historical
materials that may imply negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language
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Source:
The
Extermination of the American Bison,
1886-’87, By William T. Hornaday, Government Printing Office,
Washington, 1889
Extermination of the American Bison
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