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
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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