﻿540 
  EEPOKT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  become 
  common 
  objects 
  ; 
  still, 
  no 
  horn, 
  hoof, 
  or 
  patch 
  of 
  hide. 
  In 
  the 
  

   space 
  intervening 
  between 
  this 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  Coteau 
  de 
  

   Missouri 
  crosses 
  the 
  parallel 
  of 
  49°, 
  quite 
  recent 
  remains, 
  as 
  skulls 
  still 
  

   showing 
  horns, 
  nose-gristle, 
  or 
  hair, 
  and 
  portions 
  of 
  skeletons 
  still 
  lig- 
  

   amentously 
  attached, 
  are 
  very 
  frequent. 
  At 
  La 
  Eiviere 
  de 
  Lac, 
  a 
  day's 
  

   march 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Mouse 
  River, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  grand 
  battue 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  

   since, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  bones, 
  the 
  innumerable 
  deserted 
  

   badger-holes, 
  and 
  the 
  circles 
  of 
  stones 
  denoting 
  where 
  Indian 
  lodges 
  

   stood. 
  Within 
  the 
  Coteau 
  the 
  most 
  recent 
  remains 
  are 
  the 
  rule 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  

   hundred 
  miles 
  from 
  such 
  edge 
  (nearly 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Fellow- 
  

   stone) 
  living 
  animals 
  were 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1873. 
  

  

  " 
  Thus 
  comparing 
  the 
  two 
  great 
  basins 
  of 
  the 
  Bed 
  Eiver 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   Missouri 
  respectively, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  animal 
  left 
  the 
  whole 
  

   United 
  States 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  before 
  it 
  was 
  driven 
  from 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  Missouri 
  basin 
  equally 
  far 
  east, 
  or 
  even 
  further 
  eastward. 
  This 
  is 
  

   borne 
  out 
  by 
  observations 
  made 
  on 
  my 
  journey 
  from 
  the 
  Mouse 
  River 
  

   due 
  south 
  to 
  Fort 
  Stevenson, 
  on 
  the 
  Missouri. 
  There 
  were 
  few 
  skulls 
  

   (about 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  between 
  Mouse 
  River 
  and 
  Turtle 
  Mountain) 
  until 
  I 
  

   struck 
  the 
  Coteau, 
  within 
  which 
  they 
  at 
  once 
  multiplied. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  western 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  River 
  basin 
  numberless 
  buffalo- 
  

   trails 
  still 
  score 
  the 
  ground, 
  with 
  a 
  general 
  north-south 
  trend. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1874 
  I 
  approached 
  the 
  parallel 
  of 
  49° 
  in 
  a 
  north- 
  

   westerly 
  course 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone. 
  The 
  whole 
  country 
  

   offered 
  a 
  fair 
  amount 
  of 
  skeletal 
  remains, 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  ligamentously 
  

   cohering, 
  and 
  was 
  furrowed 
  with 
  trails. 
  But 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  living 
  animals 
  

   in 
  the 
  region 
  eastward 
  of 
  Frenchman's 
  River, 
  which 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  

   of 
  many 
  north-south 
  tributaries 
  of 
  Milk 
  River. 
  A 
  day's 
  march 
  west 
  of 
  

   this 
  river 
  brought 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Yellowstone 
  Herd,' 
  as 
  the 
  

   northerly 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  is 
  termed, 
  where 
  the 
  first 
  buffalo 
  were 
  

   seen 
  and 
  killed. 
  Small 
  straggling 
  droves, 
  or 
  single 
  animals, 
  were 
  

   observed 
  every 
  day 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Sweet 
  Grass 
  Hills 
  (or 
  

   Three 
  Buttes, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  called 
  on 
  the 
  map), 
  where 
  they 
  become 
  very 
  

   abundant. 
  In 
  this 
  city 
  many 
  thousands, 
  if 
  not 
  some 
  hundreds 
  of 
  thou- 
  

   sands, 
  passed 
  the 
  season. 
  During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  August 
  we 
  travelled 
  

   for 
  several 
  days 
  in 
  continual 
  sight 
  of 
  droves 
  on 
  every 
  side 
  on 
  the 
  road 
  

   between 
  the 
  Sweet 
  Grass 
  Hills 
  and 
  Fort 
  Benton 
  ; 
  one 
  day 
  the 
  plain 
  was 
  

   uniformly 
  dotted, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  could 
  reach, 
  in 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  quadrant 
  ot 
  

   a 
  circle. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  comparatively 
  short 
  distance 
  between 
  the 
  Sweet 
  Grass 
  Hills 
  

   and 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  we 
  encountered 
  no 
  buffalo, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  a 
  

   mere 
  fortuitous 
  circumstance 
  for 
  the 
  particular 
  days 
  ; 
  the 
  ' 
  chips 
  ' 
  were 
  

   everywhere. 
  They 
  were 
  traced, 
  however, 
  by 
  their 
  remains 
  into 
  the 
  very 
  

   heart 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  5,000 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  

   I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  the 
  various 
  glades 
  were 
  a 
  winter 
  resort 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  animals 
  that 
  pass 
  that 
  season 
  in 
  this 
  latitude. 
  But 
  I 
  could 
  ob- 
  

   tain 
  no 
  indication 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  ever 
  [here] 
  crossed 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

   Hunters 
  and 
  guides 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  region 
  for 
  years 
  agree 
  that 
  this 
  

   barrier 
  is 
  not 
  surmounted, 
  and 
  had 
  never 
  been 
  passed, 
  either 
  within 
  

   their 
  memory 
  or 
  according 
  to 
  tradition 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  the 
  Kootanie 
  Pass 
  has 
  

   been 
  always 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  Indians 
  from 
  the 
  westward 
  have 
  

   come 
  annually 
  to 
  hunt 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  side. 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  attested 
  that 
  buffaloes 
  pass 
  the 
  winter 
  in 
  this 
  re- 
  

   gion, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  have 
  very 
  recently 
  done 
  so. 
  In 
  exploring 
  the 
  Sweet 
  

   Grass 
  Hills, 
  I 
  followed 
  up 
  one 
  gorge 
  where 
  for 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  so 
  skulls 
  and 
  

   skeletons 
  lay 
  almost 
  touching 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  the 
  cul-de-sac. 
  Here 
  was 
  

   evident 
  indication 
  that 
  a 
  drove, 
  in 
  attempting 
  to 
  cross 
  from 
  the 
  hog-back 
  

  

  