1886

<< Previous  Next>> 1886 Bison History Buffalo Bill Wild West show c1886 Photo by Sarony~LOC   Two years ago (would be 1886) the United States government foresaw that the buffalo was about to be annihilated, and sent a special commission to secure and preserve for its museum specimens of the race. The intention was at first to capture alive a family of bison and keep them in the National park of the Yellowstone, but there were difficulties in the way. At last, it was decided to preserve specimens by the taxidermist’s art, and five superb samples are now at the … Read more

1881

<< Previous  Next>>     Steuben Republican Angola, Indiana Jan 12 1881 IN THE INDIAN COUNTRY (extract) by General Jason S. Brisbin, U.S.A. (At North Platte crossing the Republican River) The Indians had encamped in the grove not long before our arrival, in many of the frames of their lodges were still standing, some of them seeming to have been but recently abandoned. The frames were made of poles, stuck in the ground, the tops being bent over and fastened together with pieces of rawhide. Some had both ends of the poles driven into the ground, the middle being bent … Read more

1877

<< Previous  Next>> STILL HUNTING AFTER BUFFALO The Graphic: An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper London, England Feb 10 1877 STILL HUNTING AFTER BUFFALO As Col. Dodge has shown in his interesting book lately published, the Buffalo, countless herds of which used to roam over the plains of the central portions of North America, are being rapidly extinguished. Every season numerous sportsmen, among whom are many parties of Englishmen, who cross the Atlantic especially for the purpose, wage war against these animals. Their operations are usually conducted thus. A party of well mounted men dash  up to a herd of buffalo. Each … Read more

1874

<< Previous  Next>> Wholesale Slaughter Nashville Union Jan 6 1874 Wholesale Slaughter With reference to the wholesale slaughter of buffalo on the plains, a Western paper says: Mr. Lessing estimates that there are at least two thousand hunters in camp along there waiting for buffalo. He came across one party of sixteen, who stated that they killed twenty-eight thousand buffaloes during the past summer, the hides of which only were utilized. If sixteen hunters can kill this many animals, how great must be the slaughter upon the broad extent of the bison range? Evidently millions of the animals must have … Read more