Pot Hunters Archives -

Buffalo Chips – Bison Dung

Buffalo Chips- what are they used for? In these snippets of articles, you will find how popular the buffalo chips were and how very important they were to the development of the west. Some go on a little further than a snippet, it was just too interesting and I had to keep going. It told how they struggled, eating dogs, pulling wagons up cliffs with ropes, eating raw meat, leaving their belongings behind, and burning their wooden items for heat and cooking. [“ buffalo chips , ” or bois de vache , French ] Today several states hold a … Read more

1901

<< Previous Next>> The Times, Pa., Jan. 21 1901 AMERICAN BISON ……Naturalist Declare the Animals Are Increasing in Number. While it is naturally in possible to obtain figures as to the exact number of American bisons that are now alive, it is not difficult to obtain approximate figures, and from these and other data which had been recently collected, European naturalist maintain that there are more bison alive now then there have been for many years and that the number of these animals will steadily increase if only do care be taken of them, says the New York Journal. ……About … Read more

1890

<< Previous Next>> 1890 Bison History Photo by J. Grabill / Jonesboro Leader N.C. Jan 8, 1890 HOW BISON WERE EXTERMINATED As the Indians hunted them the run of bison would probably have lasted forever, writes Dr. Carver, but about 1866 the white men turned their attention to the shaggy monsters of the plains. Large Eastern firms organize hunting parties and paid the shooters $2.50 for each bison where he lay dead on the plains. I then went to southern Nebraska and became a professional hunter. The bison consisted of two large divisions, the one living … Read more

1885

<< Previous Next>> / Waukesha Daily Freeman Waukesha Wisconsin Apr 2 1885 GRADUAL EXTINCTION OF THE BUFFALO GATHERING THE BONES OF THE COUNTLESS DEAD FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES The harvest of furs in the Northwest is about it ended, for the buffaloes are on the eve of final extinction. Hunters who are engaged in the business of hunting the buffalo for his hide are returning daily from the ranges on the north and south sides of the Yellowstone river, and report not a bison to be found in a country where they formerly roamed in myriads. Men who have hunted hitherto … Read more

1884

<< Previous Next>> / Manitoba Free Press Winnipeg Manitoba Can Jan 2 1884 SL Bedson bison herd / / The Daily Republican Monongahela, Pennsylvania Mar 22 1884 THE BISON CHASE The prairie stretches on, and on, a boundless, bellowing see! As free as Rovers of the main, are gallant steeds and we! Then ho! hillo! Draw well the girth, knot tight strong for fast far we o! Aye, ready, comrades? Ready all! The day is just begun- Hurrah! Rare sport we’ll see, I ween, before the set of sun! Then ho! hillo! Our horses sniff the clear, crisp air … 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