The Extermination of the American BisonHornaday, William T. (William Temple)
History
The Extermination of the American Bison
Hornaday, William T. (William Temple)
American bison; Wildlife conservation -- United States -- Sources
"The present herd includes two fine bull calves dropped last spring, two
heifers, five cows, and a bull six years old and as handsome as a
picture. The latter has been named Cleveland, after the colonel's
favorite Presidential candidate. The entire herd is in as fine condition
as any beef cattle, though they were never fed anything but hay and are
never given any shelter. In fact they don't take kindly to shelter, and
whether a blizzard is blowing, with the mercury 20 degrees below zero,
or the sun pouring down his scorching rays, with the thermometer 110
degrees above, they set their heads resolutely toward storm or sun and
take their medicine as if they liked it. Hon. W. F. Cody, "Buffalo
Bill," tried to buy the whole herd two years ago to take to Europe with
his Wild West Show, but they were not for sale at his own figures, and,
indeed, there is no anxiety to dispose of them at any figures. The
railroad company has been glad to furnish them pasturage for the sake of
adding to the attractions of the park, in which there are also
forty-three head of deer, including two as fine bucks as ever trotted
over the national deer trail toward the salt-licks in northern Utah.
"While the bison at Bismark Grove are splendid specimens of their class,
"Cleveland" is decidedly the pride of the herd, and as grand a creature
as ever trod the soil of Kansas on four legs. He is just six years old
and is a perfect specimen of the kings of the plains. There is royal
blood in his veins, and his coat is finer than the imperial purple. It
is not possible to get at him to measure his stature and weight. He must
weigh fully 3,000 pounds, and it is doubtful if there is to-day living
on the face of the earth a handsomer buffalo bull than he. "Cleveland's"
disposition is not so ugly as old Barney's was, but at certain seasons
he is very wild, and there is no one venturesome enough to go into the
inclosure. It is then not altogether safe to even look over the high and
heavy board fence at him, for he is likely to make a run for the
visitor, as the numerous holes in the fence where he has knocked off the
boards will testify."
_Herd of Mr. Frederick Dupree, Cheyenne Indian Agency, near Fort
Bennett, Dakota._--This herd contains at present nine pure-blood
buffaloes, five of which are cows and seven mixed bloods. Of the former,
there are two adult bulls and four adult cows. Of the mixed blood
animals, six are half-breeds and one a quarter-breed buffalo.
Mr. Dupree obtained the nucleus of his herd in 1882, at which time he
captured five wild calves about 100 miles west of Fort Bennett. Of
these, two died after two months of captivity and a third was killed by
an Indian in 1885.
Mr. D. F. Carlin, of the Indian service, at Fort Bennett, has kindly
furnished me the following information respecting this herd, under date
of November 1, 1888:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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