﻿ALLEN.] 
  EXTIRPATION 
  IN 
  TEXAS 
  AND 
  NEW 
  MEXICO. 
  525 
  

  

  where 
  else 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  prairies, 
  their 
  most 
  formidable 
  enemies, 
  the 
  

   Indians, 
  not 
  ranging 
  so 
  low 
  down 
  in 
  large 
  parties 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   whites 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  was 
  told 
  .that 
  every 
  year 
  their 
  numbers 
  were 
  gradually 
  

   decreasing, 
  and 
  their 
  range, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  white 
  settlers 
  

   from 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  south, 
  becoming 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  circumscribed." 
  

   Kendall 
  also 
  found 
  them 
  numerous 
  on 
  the 
  Brazos, 
  and 
  states 
  that 
  they 
  

   occasionally 
  took 
  shelter 
  in 
  the 
  Cross 
  Timbers, 
  and 
  that 
  he 
  last 
  met 
  

   with 
  them, 
  in 
  going 
  westward, 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Big 
  Washita, 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  River, 
  near 
  the 
  one 
  hundredth 
  degree 
  of 
  

   longitude.* 
  

  

  Kennedy, 
  writing 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  year, 
  says, 
  " 
  The 
  bison 
  is 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  

   met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  mountainous 
  districts 
  between 
  the 
  Guadeloupe 
  and 
  the 
  

   Rio 
  Grande." 
  t 
  According 
  to 
  Gregg, 
  however, 
  they 
  had 
  already 
  disap- 
  

   peared 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Cross 
  Timbers 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1840. 
  | 
  

  

  In 
  1849, 
  in 
  an 
  expedition 
  from 
  Fort 
  Smith, 
  Arkansas, 
  to 
  Santa 
  Fe, 
  

   Lieutenant 
  J. 
  H. 
  Simpson 
  first 
  saw 
  signs 
  of 
  buli'aloes 
  near 
  the 
  97th 
  

   meridian, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Canadian, 
  but 
  adds 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  not 
  

   more 
  than 
  two 
  buffaloes 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  journey. 
  In 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  

   game, 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  butfalo, 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  question 
  that 
  

   they 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  infesting 
  the 
  route 
  in 
  places 
  during 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  Indeed, 
  Gregg 
  mentions 
  them 
  as 
  swarming 
  

   on 
  the 
  plains 
  on 
  his 
  return 
  trip 
  from 
  Santa 
  Fe, 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1840. 
  

   During 
  our 
  journey, 
  however, 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  more 
  than 
  two, 
  from 
  the 
  

   beginning 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  trip, 
  and 
  therefore 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  at 
  liberty 
  to 
  

   hold 
  them 
  up 
  as 
  any 
  certain 
  source 
  upon 
  which 
  to 
  rely 
  for 
  subsistence." 
  § 
  

  

  Roemer, 
  in 
  1849, 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  was 
  then 
  fount} 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  

   hilly 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  that 
  herds 
  of 
  a 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  together 
  were 
  still 
  seen 
  between 
  the 
  Brazos 
  and 
  Austin. 
  || 
  It 
  would 
  

   seem, 
  however, 
  that 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  there 
  were 
  very 
  few 
  buffaloes 
  south 
  of 
  

   the 
  Red 
  River, 
  as 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1849, 
  1850, 
  and 
  1851 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  mili- 
  

   tary 
  reconnaissances 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  Texas, 
  forming 
  a 
  network 
  of 
  lines 
  cov- 
  

   ering 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  during 
  the 
  running 
  of 
  which 
  no 
  buffaloes 
  

   seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  met 
  with 
  . 
  Lieutenant 
  Michler 
  surveyed 
  a 
  line 
  from 
  Fort 
  

   Washita 
  southward 
  along 
  the 
  97th 
  meridian,^ 
  from 
  34P 
  30' 
  to 
  about 
  31°, 
  

   and 
  thence 
  southwestward 
  to 
  San 
  Antonio. 
  Another 
  line 
  was 
  run 
  from 
  

   Fort 
  Washita 
  southwestward, 
  in 
  a 
  nearly 
  direct 
  line 
  to 
  the 
  Pecos 
  River 
  

   striking 
  it 
  in 
  longitude 
  103°, 
  and 
  latitude 
  31° 
  20'. 
  A 
  line 
  was 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  eastward 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  100th 
  meridian, 
  and 
  thence 
  

   southeastward 
  to 
  Corpus 
  Christi 
  Bay, 
  in 
  longitude 
  96°, 
  and 
  latitude 
  

   28° 
  40'. 
  Another 
  line 
  was 
  carried 
  down 
  the 
  Pecos 
  to 
  longitude 
  101° 
  

   40', 
  and 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  head- 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Nueces, 
  and 
  down 
  this 
  river 
  

   also 
  to 
  Corpus 
  Christi 
  Bay. 
  The 
  narratives 
  of 
  these 
  explorations 
  make 
  

   no 
  mention 
  of 
  buffaloes, 
  as 
  they 
  doubtless 
  would 
  if 
  buffaloes 
  had 
  been 
  

   met 
  with.** 
  In 
  1850 
  Marcy 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  stragglers 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  

   Canadian, 
  near 
  the 
  divide 
  between 
  the 
  Canadian 
  and 
  Washita 
  Forks 
  

   of 
  the 
  Red 
  River, 
  and 
  saw 
  their 
  tracks 
  and 
  other 
  indications 
  of 
  their 
  

   presence 
  there. 
  He 
  reports 
  that 
  the 
  Kiowas 
  and 
  Comanches 
  went 
  

  

  * 
  Kendall 
  (G. 
  W.), 
  Narrative 
  of 
  the 
  Texan 
  Santa 
  F6 
  Expedition, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  pp. 
  78, 
  79. 
  

  

  t 
  Kennedy, 
  (Wm.), 
  Texas 
  : 
  The 
  Else, 
  Progress, 
  and 
  Prospects 
  of 
  the 
  Republic, 
  Vol. 
  

   I, 
  p. 
  122. 
  

  

  + 
  Commerce 
  of 
  the 
  Prairies, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  122. 
  

  

  § 
  Congress. 
  Rep., 
  Slst 
  Congr., 
  1st 
  Session, 
  Senate 
  Ex. 
  Doc. 
  No. 
  12, 
  pp. 
  6, 
  20. 
  

  

  II 
  Roemer 
  (Ferdinand), 
  Texas, 
  p. 
  462. 
  

  

  TI 
  The 
  central 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  wooded 
  helt 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "Cross 
  Timbers" 
  lies 
  along 
  

   this 
  meridian. 
  

  

  ** 
  Congress. 
  Rep., 
  31st 
  Congr., 
  1st 
  Session, 
  Sen. 
  Doc. 
  No. 
  64, 
  and 
  accompanying 
  maps. 
  

  

  