The Buffalo Hunters

Part One

 

by 'RoundUp'

 

Before the white settlers began to migrate into the vast expanses of the American West in any great numbers, an estimated 50-60 million Buffalo roamed freely over the Great Plains. The Indians hunted them for food and other necessities, as they had done for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, as did the then few white homesteaders, but no significant dent was ever made in the populations of these majestic beasts and, in general, an even balance was maintained.   After the Civil War, however, all this was to change as steadily increasing numbers of settlers made the trek westward to a new life. As a result, new Army posts were rapidly established, and local men, (the vast majority of whom were ex-Army scouts), were employed to supply the growing numbers of soldiers with Buffalo meat.   At around the same time, the 'Iron Horse' was also making great inroads into the West, and the railroad construction labourers, sometimes numbering 200-300 men, also had to be fed, so the railroad bosses, taking a leaf out of the Army's book, began to hire Buffalo Hunters.   The need for food was almost equalled by the demands by Easterners for Buffalo hides, to be made into coats and lap-rugs, to be used when riding in carriages and sleighs and, as a result, the slaughter of the Bison escalated, often providing steady, year-round work for the hunters. Leavenworth, Kansas, became the centre of the trade in Buffalo hides, and the many tanneries that were springing up found even more uses for the hides, such as making drive-belts for industrial machinery, and grinding down the bones to make fertiliser...and in many area's Buffalo-tongue had become quite a prized delicacy, often being dried and shipped East to the up-market restaurants and to the many 'Purveyor's of Fine Meats' which began to appear in the wake of the new trade.   All this was occurring at the time when the US economy was in recession, following the Civil War, and led to many Westerners taking up the mantle of 'Buffalo Hunter'. Armed with powerful long-range rifles, (in most cases, the Sharp's .50 calibre, which came to be known as 'The Buffalo Gun'), one man could often kill as many as 250 Buffalo a day, and with the tanneries paying as much as $3 a hide, and 25 cents a tongue, (rich pickings indeed, in those days), a good living was made by hundreds of men, most notably Christopher (Kit) Carson, William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody, James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok, Bat Masterson, Pat Garret, and even Wyatt Earp, to name just a few!. By the 1880's, more than 5,000 hunters and skinners were involved in the trade.   Sadly, in most cases, after the hides and tongues had been taken the remainder of the Buffalo was simply left to rot on the open plains.   Part two will conclude with the effects the slaughter had on the Indian, coupled with the early conservation efforts which were started by a few enlightened folk back in 1872.

 Continue to Part 2

End