﻿/ 
  

  

  522 
  KEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  WacTiita. 
  Their 
  route 
  was 
  thence 
  somewhat 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo. 
  The 
  point 
  where 
  M. 
  Cavelier 
  

   reached 
  the 
  Arkansas 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  above 
  its 
  junc- 
  

   tion 
  with 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  and 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country 
  

   he 
  says: 
  " 
  The 
  plains 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  [probably 
  to 
  the 
  westward] 
  are 
  stored 
  

   with 
  beeves, 
  wild 
  goats, 
  deer, 
  turkeys, 
  bustards, 
  swans, 
  teal, 
  and 
  other 
  

   game," 
  thus 
  showing 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  ranged 
  eastward 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Arkansas. 
  

  

  Ferdinando 
  de 
  Soto, 
  during 
  his 
  march 
  from 
  Florida 
  through 
  ISTorth- 
  

   ern 
  Alabama 
  and 
  Northern 
  Mississippi 
  into 
  Arkansas, 
  lo39-'41,* 
  did 
  

   not, 
  as 
  x)reviously 
  noticed, 
  enter 
  the 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  until 
  he 
  had 
  

   crossed 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  ascended 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Arkansas 
  for 
  

   some 
  distance. 
  Although 
  they 
  found 
  the 
  Indian 
  tribes 
  well 
  supplied 
  

   with 
  their 
  robes, 
  none 
  of 
  De 
  Soto's 
  party 
  saw 
  the 
  buffalo 
  alive. 
  A 
  

   party 
  sent 
  from 
  Pacaha, 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Arkansas, 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  

   " 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Calu9a," 
  did 
  not, 
  in 
  a 
  journey 
  of 
  seven 
  days, 
  get 
  ap- 
  

   parently 
  beyond 
  the 
  low 
  grounds, 
  and 
  on 
  their 
  return 
  reported 
  to 
  their 
  

   chief 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  termination 
  of 
  their 
  journey 
  " 
  thenceforward 
  to- 
  

   wards 
  the 
  north 
  the 
  Indians 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  country 
  was 
  very 
  ill 
  inhab- 
  

   ited, 
  because 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  cold 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  such 
  store 
  of 
  oxen, 
  

   that 
  they 
  could 
  keep 
  no 
  corn 
  for 
  them 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  lived 
  upon 
  

   their 
  flesh."t 
  The 
  Indians 
  of 
  Coligoa, 
  the 
  highest 
  or 
  most 
  northerly 
  

   point 
  they 
  reached, 
  " 
  reported 
  that 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  leagues 
  from 
  thence 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  north, 
  there 
  were 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  oxen." 
  The 
  " 
  ox-hides 
  " 
  they 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  the 
  Indians 
  are 
  described 
  as 
  being 
  " 
  very 
  soft 
  and 
  wooled 
  

   like 
  sheep," 
  showing 
  clearly 
  that 
  what 
  they 
  called 
  ox-hides 
  were 
  the 
  

   skins 
  of 
  buffaloes. 
  Again 
  it 
  is 
  stated, 
  " 
  Xot 
  far 
  from 
  thence, 
  toward 
  

   the 
  north, 
  were 
  many 
  oxen. 
  The 
  Christians 
  [Spaniards] 
  saw 
  them 
  not, 
  

   nor 
  came 
  into 
  the 
  country 
  where 
  they 
  were."| 
  

  

  Passing 
  from 
  Coligoa 
  across 
  the 
  Washita 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Eed 
  

   Eiver, 
  they 
  again 
  (after 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  De 
  Soto, 
  and 
  under 
  the 
  lead 
  of 
  

   Moscoso) 
  turned 
  westward 
  and 
  reached 
  the 
  Trinity 
  above 
  the 
  point 
  

   where 
  La 
  Salle 
  crossed 
  it 
  ; 
  though 
  they 
  entered 
  the 
  highlands, 
  they 
  

   turned 
  back 
  before 
  meeting 
  with 
  buffaloes. 
  

  

  It 
  hence 
  appears 
  that 
  at 
  this 
  early 
  date 
  the 
  buffalo 
  frequented 
  none 
  

   of 
  the 
  lowlands 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  nor 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Washita 
  and 
  the 
  

   Eed 
  Eivers, 
  and 
  only 
  reached 
  the 
  Gulf 
  coast 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gaud- 
  

   aloupe 
  and 
  San 
  Antonio 
  Eivers; 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  probably 
  extended 
  thence 
  

   southward 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  as 
  far 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  

   Grande 
  del 
  ]t>rorte. 
  

  

  The 
  former 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Pecos 
  seems 
  

   to 
  be 
  well 
  substantiated. 
  Speaking 
  of 
  Espejo's 
  march 
  down 
  the 
  Pecos 
  

   Eiver 
  in 
  1584, 
  Davis 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  They 
  passed 
  down 
  a 
  river 
  they 
  called 
  Bio 
  

   de 
  las 
  Vacas, 
  or 
  the 
  river 
  of 
  oxen 
  [the 
  river 
  Pecos, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  Cow 
  

   Eiver 
  that 
  Vaca 
  describes], 
  and 
  was 
  so 
  named 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   number 
  of 
  buffaloes 
  that 
  fed 
  upon 
  its 
  banks. 
  They 
  travelled 
  down 
  this 
  

   river 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  twenty 
  leagues, 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  pass- 
  

   ing 
  through 
  great 
  herds 
  of 
  buftaloes.''§ 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  "A 
  Narrative 
  of 
  the 
  Expedition 
  of 
  Hernando 
  de 
  Soto 
  into 
  P"'lorida. 
  By 
  a 
  Gen- 
  

   tleman 
  of 
  Elvas. 
  Published 
  at 
  Evora, 
  1557. 
  Translated 
  from 
  the 
  Portuguese 
  by- 
  

   Richard 
  Hakluyt." 
  London, 
  1009. 
  Original 
  edition 
  repriuted 
  by 
  the 
  Hakluyt 
  So- 
  

   ciety 
  in 
  1851. 
  The 
  edition 
  of 
  1611 
  reprinted 
  by 
  French 
  in 
  1850, 
  in 
  his 
  " 
  Historical 
  Col- 
  

   lections 
  of 
  Louisiana," 
  Part 
  11. 
  

  

  t 
  French's 
  Hist. 
  Coll. 
  Louisiana, 
  Part 
  II, 
  p. 
  175, 
  

  

  Ubid., 
  pp. 
  177, 
  181. 
  

  

  $ 
  Davis's 
  Spanish 
  Conquest 
  of 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  p. 
  260. 
  See 
  also 
  Hakluyt, 
  Voyages, 
  Vol. 
  

   Ill, 
  p. 
  47-2. 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  