﻿ALLEN.] 
  FORMER 
  RANGE 
  EAST 
  OF 
  THE 
  MISSISSIPPI. 
  503 
  

  

  applied 
  this 
  reference 
  to 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  * 
  The 
  context 
  states 
  that 
  this 
  

   lake 
  is 
  three 
  hundred 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Massachusetts 
  Bay, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  , 
  

   be 
  reached 
  by 
  the 
  Hudson 
  River, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  given 
  as 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  

   the 
  Potomac.t 
  

  

  The 
  extreme 
  northeastern 
  limit 
  of 
  tlie 
  former 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   seems 
  to 
  have 
  been, 
  as 
  above 
  stated, 
  in 
  Western 
  l^ew 
  York, 
  near 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  Erie. 
  That 
  it 
  probably 
  ranged 
  thus 
  far 
  thei^e 
  is 
  fair 
  

   evidence. 
  As 
  also 
  already 
  noticed, 
  buffaloes 
  at 
  times 
  passed 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  Alleg'hanies, 
  near 
  Lewisburg, 
  Union 
  County, 
  where 
  

   is 
  a 
  stream 
  still 
  bearing 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Buffalo 
  Creek. 
  The 
  earliest 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  of 
  their 
  former 
  existence 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  afforded 
  by 
  a 
  map 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  by 
  Forster, 
  in 
  ] 
  771, 
  accompanying 
  the 
  English 
  translation 
  of 
  

   Peter 
  Kalm's 
  travels. 
  On 
  this 
  map 
  a 
  marsh 
  called 
  " 
  Buffalo 
  Swamp" 
  is 
  

   indicated 
  as 
  situated 
  between 
  theAlleghanyEiver 
  and 
  the 
  West 
  Branch 
  

   of 
  the 
  Susquehanna, 
  near 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  the 
  Licking 
  and 
  Toby's 
  Creeks 
  

   (apparently 
  the 
  streams 
  now 
  called 
  Oil 
  Creek 
  and 
  Clarion 
  Creek). 
  The 
  

   most 
  explicit 
  testimony, 
  however, 
  is 
  that 
  furnished 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Ashe,| 
  who 
  

   has 
  given 
  an 
  account 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  their 
  former 
  abundance 
  here, 
  but 
  of 
  

   their 
  extirpation. 
  The 
  following 
  circumstantial 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  former 
  

   abundance 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  and 
  their 
  sudden 
  extermination 
  upon 
  the 
  

   arrival 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  white 
  settlers, 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  him 
  from 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   participants 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  destruction. 
  "An 
  old 
  man," 
  says 
  Mr. 
  Ashe, 
  

   ''one 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  settlers 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  built 
  his 
  log 
  house 
  on 
  the 
  

   immediate 
  borders 
  of 
  a 
  salt 
  spring. 
  He 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  

   several 
  seasons 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  paid 
  him 
  their 
  visits 
  with 
  the 
  utmost 
  regu- 
  

   larity 
  ; 
  they 
  travelled 
  in 
  single 
  files, 
  always 
  following 
  each 
  other 
  at 
  equal 
  

   distances, 
  forming 
  droves, 
  on 
  their 
  arrival, 
  of 
  about 
  three 
  hundred 
  each. 
  

   The 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  years, 
  so 
  unacquainted 
  were 
  these 
  poor 
  brutes 
  with 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  man's 
  house, 
  or 
  with 
  his 
  nature, 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  they 
  

   rubhed 
  the 
  house 
  completely 
  down 
  ; 
  taking 
  delight 
  in 
  turning 
  the 
  logs 
  

   off" 
  with 
  their 
  horns, 
  while 
  he 
  had 
  some 
  difficulty 
  to 
  escape 
  from 
  being 
  

  

  * 
  Marcy 
  (R. 
  B.) 
  says, 
  " 
  Formerly 
  buffaloes 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  countless 
  herds 
  over 
  almost 
  

   tlie 
  entire 
  northern' 
  continent 
  of 
  America, 
  from 
  the 
  28th 
  to 
  the 
  50th 
  degree 
  of 
  north 
  

   latitude, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  to 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains," 
  and 
  cites 
  

   this 
  passage 
  from 
  Morton 
  in 
  proof 
  of 
  its 
  existence 
  around 
  Lake 
  Champlain. 
  — 
  Explora- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Bed 
  Biver 
  of 
  Louisiana, 
  pp. 
  103-, 
  104, 
  1853. 
  

  

  f'And 
  from 
  this 
  Lake 
  Southwards, 
  trends 
  that 
  goodly 
  River 
  called 
  of 
  the 
  Natives 
  

   Patomack, 
  which 
  dischardgeth 
  herselfe 
  in 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  Virginea, 
  from 
  whence 
  it 
  is 
  navi- 
  

   gable 
  by 
  shipping 
  of 
  great 
  Burthen 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  Falls 
  (which 
  lieth 
  in 
  41. 
  Degrees, 
  and 
  a 
  

   halfe 
  of 
  North 
  latitude:) 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  Lake 
  downe 
  to 
  the 
  Falls 
  by 
  a 
  faire 
  current." 
  

   He 
  adds 
  : 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  knowne, 
  they 
  [the 
  Dutch] 
  aime 
  at 
  that 
  jilace, 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  possi- 
  

   bility 
  to 
  attaine 
  unto 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  their 
  desires 
  therein, 
  by 
  meanes, 
  if 
  the 
  River 
  

   of 
  Mohegan, 
  which 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  is 
  named 
  Hudsons 
  River 
  (where 
  the 
  Dutch 
  have 
  

  

  settled 
  : 
  to 
  well 
  fortified 
  plantations 
  already 
  The 
  Salvages 
  make 
  report 
  of 
  

  

  3 
  great 
  Rivers 
  that 
  issue 
  out 
  of 
  this 
  Lake, 
  2 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  to 
  us 
  knowne, 
  the 
  one 
  to 
  be 
  

   Patomack, 
  the 
  other 
  Canada, 
  and 
  why 
  may 
  not 
  the 
  third 
  be 
  found 
  there 
  likewise, 
  

   which 
  they 
  describe 
  to 
  trend 
  westward, 
  which 
  is 
  conceaved 
  to 
  discharge 
  herselfe 
  into 
  

   the 
  South 
  Sea 
  [probably 
  a 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  Mississippi]."— 
  JN^eit? 
  English 
  Canaan, 
  p. 
  99; 
  

   Force's 
  Hist. 
  Tracts, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  No. 
  5, 
  p. 
  67, 
  

  

  t 
  Mr. 
  Ashe 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  fondness 
  " 
  all 
  the 
  animals 
  of 
  those 
  parts 
  " 
  have 
  for 
  salt, 
  and 
  

   of 
  their 
  resorting 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  to 
  " 
  Onondargo 
  " 
  Lake 
  to 
  drink 
  of 
  its 
  brackish 
  

   waters, 
  and 
  adds 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  roads 
  to 
  this 
  lake 
  were 
  the 
  " 
  buifalo 
  tracks 
  ; 
  so 
  called 
  Irom 
  

   having 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  in 
  their 
  annual 
  visitations 
  to 
  the 
  

   lake 
  from 
  their 
  pasture-grounds 
  ; 
  and 
  though 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  above 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   miles, 
  the 
  best 
  surveyor 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  chosen 
  a 
  more 
  direct 
  course, 
  or 
  firmer 
  or 
  better 
  

   ground." 
  The 
  region 
  about 
  Onondaga 
  Lake 
  was 
  thoroughly 
  explored 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1670, 
  

   and 
  settlements 
  were 
  made 
  and 
  a 
  fort 
  erected 
  before 
  1705. 
  Prior 
  to 
  1738, 
  lines 
  of 
  com- 
  

   munication 
  had 
  been 
  established 
  between 
  both 
  the 
  Susquehanna 
  and 
  Alleghany 
  Rivers, 
  

   but 
  not 
  a 
  buffalo 
  is 
  mentioned 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  met 
  with 
  anywhere 
  in 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  

   region. 
  Hence 
  Mr. 
  Ashe 
  was 
  undoubtedly 
  misinformed 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  trail 
  to 
  

   Onondaga 
  Lake 
  having 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  buffaloes. 
  

  

  