﻿ALLEN.] 
  RANGE 
  BETWEEN 
  UPPER 
  MISisOURI 
  AND 
  PLATTE. 
  543 
  

  

  shell, 
  we 
  found 
  large 
  herds 
  had 
  grazed 
  but 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  before 
  our 
  

   arrival, 
  and 
  fresh 
  tracks 
  of 
  cows 
  and 
  calves, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  bulls, 
  were 
  

   abundant. 
  From 
  this 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  we 
  were 
  frequently 
  in 
  

   sight 
  of 
  large 
  bands, 
  and 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  individuals 
  were 
  killed. 
  

   They 
  moved 
  off 
  rapidly, 
  however, 
  as 
  we 
  approached, 
  and 
  at 
  no 
  time 
  

   were 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  in 
  sight 
  at 
  once. 
  We 
  found 
  later 
  that 
  

   the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  and 
  its 
  adjoining 
  prairies 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  

   recent 
  feeding-ground 
  of 
  large 
  herds, 
  immense 
  numbers 
  having 
  evi- 
  

   dently 
  spent 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  there. 
  They 
  seemed 
  not, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  to 
  have 
  visited 
  the 
  valley 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  before 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  

   as 
  all 
  the 
  trails 
  and 
  other 
  signs 
  had 
  evidently 
  been 
  made 
  within 
  the 
  few 
  

   ■weeks 
  immediately 
  preceding 
  our 
  arrival. 
  Traces 
  of 
  ancient 
  trails 
  

   remained, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  few 
  and 
  insignificant 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  present 
  year. 
  The 
  herds 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  occupied 
  the 
  whole 
  

   valley 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  followed 
  it 
  (from 
  the 
  109th 
  meridian 
  to 
  the 
  Big 
  Bend), 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  plains 
  on 
  either 
  side. 
  Considerable 
  bands 
  had 
  also 
  ranged 
  

   over 
  the 
  divide 
  between 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  and 
  the 
  Yellowstone, 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  along 
  the 
  two 
  Porcupine 
  Creeks. 
  General 
  Custer 
  met 
  with 
  small 
  

   herds 
  still 
  further 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  expedition 
  came 
  in 
  

   sight 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Custer's 
  Creek, 
  where 
  several 
  were 
  

   killed 
  by 
  the 
  scouts. 
  On 
  our 
  return 
  we 
  found 
  that 
  during 
  our 
  absence 
  

   small 
  bauds 
  had 
  visited 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  itself, 
  and 
  had 
  

   ranged 
  as 
  far 
  down 
  as 
  Powder 
  Eiver, 
  while 
  quite 
  large 
  herds 
  had 
  

   recently 
  passed 
  up 
  Custer's 
  Creek. 
  

  

  "Occasional 
  skeletons 
  and 
  buffalo 
  chips 
  in 
  a 
  good 
  state 
  of 
  preser- 
  

   vation 
  occur 
  eastward 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  but 
  the 
  only 
  very 
  recent 
  

   signs 
  observed 
  this 
  year 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  were 
  the 
  tracks 
  of 
  a 
  

   few 
  old 
  straggling 
  bulls 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  river."* 
  I 
  was 
  also 
  in- 
  

   formed 
  by 
  credible 
  authorities 
  that 
  they 
  then 
  wintered 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  

   on 
  the 
  head-waters 
  of 
  the 
  Big-Horn, 
  Tongue, 
  and 
  Powder 
  Elvers, 
  pass- 
  

   ing 
  northward 
  in 
  spring 
  to 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  and 
  Musselshell. 
  Mr. 
  Eey- 
  

   nolds, 
  a 
  hunter 
  and 
  scout 
  of 
  great 
  experience, 
  and 
  an 
  unquestionable 
  

   authority, 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Missouri 
  

   embraced 
  the 
  regions 
  of 
  the 
  Powder, 
  Tongue, 
  Big-Horn, 
  and 
  Upper 
  

   Yellowstone 
  Rivers, 
  and 
  thence 
  northward 
  over 
  the 
  Musselshell, 
  Teton, 
  

   and 
  Marias 
  Rivers, 
  to 
  the 
  Milk 
  River. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  rapid 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  over 
  Southwestern 
  Da- 
  

   kota 
  and 
  the 
  adjoining 
  portions 
  of 
  Wyoming 
  has 
  been 
  undoubtedly 
  

   effected 
  mainly 
  by 
  the 
  Sioux 
  Indians, 
  who 
  have 
  of 
  late 
  ranged 
  over 
  this 
  

   region. 
  This 
  at 
  least 
  is 
  the 
  view 
  taken 
  by 
  Colonel 
  Dodge, 
  and 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  with 
  good 
  reason. 
  He 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  as 
  follows: 
  "The 
  

   great 
  composite 
  tribe 
  of 
  Sioux, 
  driven 
  by 
  encroaching 
  civilization 
  from 
  

   their 
  homes 
  in 
  Iowa, 
  Wisconsin, 
  and 
  Minnesota, 
  had 
  crossed 
  the 
  Mis- 
  

   souri 
  and 
  thrust 
  themselves 
  between 
  the 
  Pawnees 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  the 
  

   Crows 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west. 
  A 
  long-continued 
  war 
  between 
  the 
  tribes 
  

   taught 
  at 
  least 
  mutual 
  respect, 
  and 
  an 
  immense 
  area, 
  embracing 
  the 
  

   Black 
  Hills 
  and 
  the 
  vast 
  plains 
  watered 
  by 
  the 
  Niobrara 
  and 
  White 
  

   Rivers, 
  became 
  a 
  debatable 
  ground, 
  into 
  which 
  none 
  but 
  war 
  parties 
  

   ever 
  penetrated. 
  Hunted 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  by 
  the 
  surrounding 
  tribes, 
  im- 
  

   mense 
  numbers 
  of 
  buffalo 
  took 
  refuge 
  in 
  this 
  debatable 
  land, 
  where 
  

   they 
  were 
  comparatively 
  unmolested, 
  remaining 
  there 
  summer 
  and 
  win- 
  

   ter 
  in 
  security. 
  When 
  the 
  Pawnees 
  were 
  finally' 
  overthrown 
  and 
  forced 
  

   on 
  to 
  a 
  reservation, 
  the 
  Sioux 
  poured 
  into 
  this 
  country, 
  just 
  suited 
  to 
  

   their 
  tastes, 
  and, 
  finding 
  buffalo 
  very 
  plenteous 
  and 
  a 
  ready 
  sale 
  for 
  

   their 
  robes, 
  made 
  such 
  a 
  furious 
  onslaught 
  upon 
  the 
  poor 
  beasts 
  that 
  in 
  

   a 
  few 
  years 
  scarce 
  a 
  buffalo 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  extensive 
  tract 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  Proc 
  Boston 
  Soc. 
  Nat. 
  Hist., 
  Vol. 
  XVII, 
  pp. 
  39, 
  40, 
  1874. 
  

  

  