﻿ALLEs.] 
  EANGE 
  BETWEEN 
  MISSOURI 
  AND 
  49TH 
  PARALLEL. 
  539 
  

  

  whole 
  region 
  was 
  occupied, 
  at 
  least 
  temporarily, 
  by 
  roving 
  bands. 
  

   Lambert, 
  in 
  his 
  general 
  report 
  respecting 
  the 
  topography 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  

   speaks 
  of 
  the 
  extensive 
  plains 
  between 
  the 
  meridian 
  of 
  Fort 
  Union 
  and 
  

   the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  as 
  being 
  the 
  " 
  pasture-grounds 
  of 
  unfailing 
  millions 
  

   of 
  the 
  uncouth 
  and 
  ponderous 
  buffalo."* 
  Lieutenant 
  Saxon, 
  in 
  his 
  

   report 
  of 
  a 
  journey 
  down 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  from 
  Fort 
  Benton 
  to 
  Fort 
  Union, 
  

   made 
  in 
  1853, 
  says 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  days 
  of 
  their 
  journey, 
  as 
  

   they 
  approached 
  Fort 
  Union, 
  they 
  saw 
  innumerable 
  herds 
  of 
  buffalo- 
  

   cows, 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  extending 
  in 
  every 
  direction 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  

   could 
  reach.t 
  Lieutenant 
  Groger, 
  the 
  same 
  year 
  (October, 
  1853), 
  also 
  

   found 
  large 
  bands 
  on 
  the 
  Missouri 
  from 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  to 
  the 
  Milk 
  

   Eiver, 
  | 
  and 
  small 
  bands 
  were 
  also 
  seen 
  by 
  Tiukham 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Falls, 
  on 
  the 
  Sun 
  Eiver, 
  § 
  where 
  herds 
  were 
  also 
  observed 
  in 
  January, 
  

   1854, 
  by 
  Lieutenant 
  Groger. 
  || 
  In 
  December, 
  1853, 
  they 
  occurred 
  in 
  

   great 
  numbers 
  on 
  Big 
  Hole 
  Prairie, 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Jefferson 
  Fork.^ 
  

   They 
  were 
  also 
  reported 
  as 
  occurring 
  on 
  the 
  Milk 
  Eiver, 
  near 
  Camp 
  

   Atchison, 
  and 
  also 
  on 
  other 
  of 
  the 
  neighboring 
  northern 
  tributaries 
  of 
  

   the 
  Missouri. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Cooper 
  states 
  that 
  in 
  1860 
  " 
  the 
  buffalo 
  herd 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Mis- 
  

   souri 
  was 
  spread 
  from 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains, 
  near 
  latitude 
  49°, 
  south- 
  

   east," 
  and 
  says 
  that 
  he 
  " 
  found 
  them 
  along 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  from 
  its 
  upper 
  

   Great 
  Bend 
  west 
  to 
  about 
  fifty 
  miles 
  above 
  Milk 
  Eiver, 
  but 
  nowhere 
  in 
  

   great 
  numbers. 
  Eemains 
  of 
  their 
  skeletons, 
  left 
  about 
  five 
  years 
  since, 
  

   were 
  abundant 
  west 
  of 
  Fort 
  Benton, 
  and," 
  he 
  adds, 
  " 
  I 
  saw 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  

   old 
  skulls 
  daily 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Blackfoot 
  and 
  Hell 
  Gate 
  

   Eivers 
  (west 
  of 
  the 
  mountains), 
  quite 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  

   Bitter 
  Eoot." 
  ** 
  

  

  Lieutenant 
  M. 
  E. 
  Hogan, 
  22d 
  United 
  States 
  Infantry, 
  who 
  for 
  some 
  

   years 
  previous 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  military 
  service 
  in 
  the 
  

   Department 
  of 
  Dakota, 
  informed 
  me 
  in 
  1873 
  that 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  had 
  

   recently 
  crossed 
  the 
  Marias 
  and 
  Teton 
  Eivers, 
  in 
  Northwestern 
  Montana, 
  

   from 
  the 
  northward, 
  and 
  were 
  abundant 
  throughout 
  the 
  region 
  about 
  

   Fort 
  Shaw, 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  " 
  millions 
  of 
  buffaloes 
  " 
  on 
  Milk 
  Eiver, 
  

  

  Eespecting 
  the 
  iDresent 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  between 
  the 
  Missouri 
  

   Eiver 
  and 
  the 
  49th 
  parallel, 
  and 
  the 
  evidences 
  of 
  their 
  recent 
  occupa- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  this 
  whole 
  belt 
  of 
  country, 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Elliott 
  Coues 
  

   for 
  the 
  subjoined 
  important 
  communication. 
  Two 
  seasons 
  spent 
  in 
  this 
  

   region 
  as 
  naturalist 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Northern 
  Boundary 
  Survey 
  

   have 
  given 
  him 
  opportunities 
  for 
  collecting 
  much 
  important 
  information 
  

   respecting 
  this 
  region. 
  The 
  communication, 
  dated 
  " 
  Washington, 
  

   March 
  2, 
  1875," 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  buffalo 
  ranged 
  in 
  this 
  latitude 
  [parallel 
  of 
  49°] 
  

   eastward 
  of 
  the 
  Eed 
  Eiver 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  passed 
  so 
  long 
  since 
  that 
  the 
  

   traces 
  of 
  their 
  former 
  presence 
  have 
  become 
  effaced. 
  The 
  present 
  gen- 
  

   eration 
  of 
  hunters 
  in 
  Manitoba 
  and 
  adjacent 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   trail 
  to 
  the 
  westward, 
  by 
  several 
  well-known 
  routes, 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  robes 
  

   and 
  meat. 
  In 
  travelling 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  I 
  saw 
  no 
  sign 
  whatever 
  until 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Turtle 
  Mountain, 
  where 
  an 
  occasional 
  weather-worn 
  

   skull 
  or 
  limb- 
  bone 
  may 
  be 
  observed. 
  Thence 
  westward 
  to 
  the 
  Mouse 
  

   River, 
  the 
  bony 
  remains 
  multiply 
  with 
  each 
  day's 
  journey, 
  until 
  they 
  

  

  * 
  Pacitic 
  R. 
  R. 
  Rep. 
  of 
  Expl. 
  and 
  Surveys, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  Governor 
  Stevens's 
  Rep., 
  p. 
  1G7. 
  

  

  t 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  264. 
  

  

  t 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  494. 
  

  

  *S 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  369. 
  

  

  ll 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  500. 
  

  

  IT 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  167. 
  

  

  ** 
  American 
  Naturalist, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  p. 
  538. 
  

  

  