CANADA'S PART IN THE PRESERVATION OF 

 THE BUFFALO 



[Prepared by the Canadian Government at the request of 

 The American Bison Society] 



The interest of the Canadian Government in the 

 buffalo began in 1897 with the receipt at Banff, in the 

 Rocky Mountains Park, of three Texas buffalo, as a 

 gift from Mr. T. G. Blackstock of Toronto, a donation 

 which was supplemented in the year following by one 

 from Lord Strathcona, who presented the government 

 with thirteen head from his herd at Silver Heights, near 

 Winnipeg. 



In their mountain-girt enclosure at Banff, these 

 animals proved to be a most interesting attraction to the 

 thousands of tourists, who from year to year were drawn 

 to Banff by the fame of its natural beauties and its hot 

 springs; and so well did the buffalo thrive by close 

 attention and judicious crossing, that in the year 1909 

 the herd had increased from nineteen head, only six of 

 which were females, to over one hundred head. 



During the year 1906 began those negotiations 

 between Mr. Michel Pablo, of Ronan, Mont., and the 

 Dominion Government, which terminated in the purchase 

 of Mr. Pablo's entire herd of buffalo, which was then con- 

 sidered to consist of about 250 head. Mr. Pablo, finding 

 himself confronted with the prospective loss of his buffalo 

 range, approached the Canadian Government, through 

 one of its local immigration officials, first, with a view 

 to finding a suitable grazing area for his buffalo in Alberta, 

 and finally, with an offer to sell the entire herd. This 

 idea appealed to the Honorable Frank Ofiver, Minister 

 of the Interior, and after due consideration, Mr. Howard 

 Douglas, Chief Superintendent of Dominion Parks, was 

 commissioned to arrange for the purchase and terms of 

 delivery, and to make all arrangements necessary on the 

 part of the Dominion Government for the undertaking. 



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