166 FRIENDS WORTH KNOWING. 



seen in western Missouri and southern Iowa later than 

 1825; but immense herds still roamed over the northern 

 half of the latter State. Since 1845, however, few have 

 been seen anywhere within Iowa, nor did they linger many 

 years longer in Minnesota. 



The stream of emigration across the plains to California 

 about 1859 had a curious and permanent effect on the buf- 

 faloes. The overland route followed up the Kansas and 

 Platte rivers, and thence westward by the North Platte to 

 the South Pass. The buffaloes were soon all driven from 

 this line of travel ; and the great herd which had stretched 

 from the Rio Grande to the Saskatchewan was permanent- 

 ly divided into two a northern and a southern herd 

 which were more and more widely separated by the con- 

 struction of the Union Pacific Railroad. Year by year 

 since, the limits of the range of each division have been 

 contracting under relentless persecution and the encroach- 

 ments of civilization, until now they are easily circum- 

 scribed. The poor beasts have been hunted by the In- 

 dians, have been followed incessantly by white men pro- 

 fessional hunters, sportsmen, hide - seekers, and soldiers, 

 who have been afforded easy access to their haunts by the 

 railroads that have penetrated to their ancient pastures, 

 and been given the means of keeping up the hunt by the 



