﻿544 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  country 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Cheyenne 
  and 
  north 
  and 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Platte 
  

   Eiver. 
  This 
  area, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  buffalo 
  had 
  thus 
  become 
  practically 
  

   extinct, 
  joined 
  on 
  the 
  southwest 
  the 
  Laramie 
  Plains 
  country, 
  and 
  there 
  

   resulted 
  a 
  broad 
  east-aud-west 
  belt 
  from 
  the 
  Missouri 
  to 
  Montana, 
  

   which 
  contained 
  no 
  buffalo."* 
  

  

  I 
  learn 
  from 
  General 
  P. 
  H. 
  Bradley 
  (United 
  States 
  Infantry) 
  that 
  in 
  

   1868, 
  when 
  Forts 
  Smith, 
  Eeno, 
  and 
  other 
  military 
  posts 
  in 
  the 
  Black 
  

   Hills 
  region 
  were 
  abandoned, 
  buffaloes 
  were 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  

   so-called 
  Big 
  Horn 
  country, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  one 
  day 
  they 
  killed 
  fifty 
  tons 
  of 
  

   meat 
  for 
  garrison 
  use. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  government 
  surveys 
  for 
  a 
  railroad 
  route 
  

   from 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Eiver 
  to 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean, 
  during 
  1853 
  to 
  1856, 
  

   buifaloes 
  were 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  tributaries 
  

   of 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  between 
  the'Great 
  Falls 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  and 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   the 
  Yellowstone. 
  In 
  passing 
  from 
  Fort 
  Benton 
  southeast 
  to 
  the 
  Mussel- 
  

   shell 
  Eiver, 
  Lieutenant 
  Mullan 
  reports 
  meeting 
  with 
  three 
  lean 
  old 
  bulls 
  

   on 
  Arrow 
  Eiver, 
  large 
  herds 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Judith 
  Eiver, 
  between 
  

   the 
  Girdle 
  and 
  Judith 
  Mountains, 
  and 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  along 
  the 
  

   Musselshell.t 
  

  

  In 
  1871 
  no 
  buffaloes 
  occurred 
  in 
  Eastern 
  Wyoming 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  

   Hills, 
  and 
  they 
  had 
  also 
  already 
  been 
  long 
  extinct 
  over 
  the 
  Laramie 
  

   Plains, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Platte 
  in 
  Western 
  Wyoming, 
  

   which 
  region 
  they 
  probably 
  have 
  not 
  regularly 
  frequented 
  since 
  they 
  

   were 
  dispersed, 
  about 
  1849-50, 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  overland 
  emigration 
  to 
  Cal- 
  

   ifornia. 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  none 
  then 
  existed 
  in 
  the 
  territory 
  south 
  of 
  

   the 
  Sweetwater 
  Mountains 
  and 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills. 
  Fr6mont, 
  in 
  1842, 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  met 
  with 
  large 
  herds 
  as 
  far 
  west 
  as 
  the 
  Laramie 
  Eiver, 
  but 
  none 
  

   were 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Platte 
  above 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Laramie 
  until 
  

   he 
  reached 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Sweet 
  Water, 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  and 
  the 
  

   dry 
  weather 
  having 
  destroyed 
  the 
  grass 
  over 
  the 
  Laramie 
  Plains. 
  An 
  

   explanation 
  of 
  their 
  final 
  disappearance 
  from 
  the 
  Laramie 
  Plains 
  has 
  

   been 
  offered 
  by 
  Colonel 
  Eichard 
  I. 
  Dodge, 
  which 
  is 
  at 
  least 
  probable. 
  

   He 
  says 
  that 
  according 
  to 
  hunters' 
  traditions 
  the 
  Laramie 
  Plains 
  were 
  

   visited 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1844-45 
  "by 
  a 
  most 
  extraordinary 
  snow-storm. 
  

   Contrary 
  to 
  all 
  precedent, 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  wind, 
  and 
  the 
  snow 
  covered 
  the 
  

   surface 
  evenly 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  nearly 
  four 
  feet. 
  Immediately 
  after 
  the 
  

   storm 
  a 
  bright 
  sun 
  softened 
  the 
  surface, 
  which 
  at 
  night 
  froze 
  into 
  a 
  crust 
  

   so 
  firm 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  weeks 
  before 
  any 
  heavy 
  animal 
  could 
  make 
  any 
  head- 
  

   way 
  over 
  it. 
  The 
  Laramie 
  Plains, 
  being 
  entirely 
  surrounded 
  by 
  mount- 
  

   ains, 
  had 
  always 
  been 
  a 
  favorite 
  wintering-place 
  for 
  the 
  bufi"aloes. 
  

   Thousands 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  this 
  storm, 
  and 
  perished 
  miserably 
  by 
  star- 
  

   vation. 
  Since 
  that 
  time 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  buffalo 
  has 
  ever 
  visited 
  the 
  Laramie 
  

   Plains. 
  When 
  I 
  first 
  crossed 
  these 
  plains, 
  in 
  1868, 
  the 
  whole 
  country 
  

   was 
  dotted 
  with 
  skulls 
  of 
  buffaloes, 
  all 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  stages 
  of 
  decomposi- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  all 
  apparently 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  age 
  [or 
  period 
  of 
  exposure], 
  giving 
  

   some 
  foundation 
  for 
  the 
  tradition. 
  Indeed, 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  answer 
  to 
  my 
  

   request 
  for 
  an 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  numbers, 
  appearance, 
  and 
  identity 
  of 
  

   age 
  [condition] 
  of 
  these 
  skulls, 
  that 
  the 
  tradition 
  was 
  related 
  to 
  me 
  

   by 
  an 
  old 
  hunter, 
  who, 
  however, 
  could 
  not 
  himself 
  vouch 
  for 
  the 
  facts.'' 
  J 
  

  

  * 
  Chicago 
  Inter-Ocean, 
  August 
  5, 
  1875. 
  

  

  + 
  Pacific 
  R. 
  R. 
  Rep. 
  of 
  Expl. 
  and 
  Surveys, 
  Vol. 
  XI, 
  pt. 
  i, 
  p. 
  59. 
  

  

  t 
  Chicago 
  Inter-Ocean, 
  August 
  5, 
  1875. 
  This 
  and 
  the 
  previous 
  extracts 
  from 
  the 
  Inter- 
  

   Ocean 
  newspaper 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  this 
  paper 
  by 
  a 
  rei)orter 
  accompanying 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills 
  

   Expedition 
  of 
  1875, 
  of 
  which 
  Colonel 
  Dodge 
  was 
  in 
  command, 
  as 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  an 
  " 
  advance 
  

   chapter" 
  from 
  a 
  forthcoming 
  book 
  on 
  the 
  West 
  by 
  Colonel 
  Dodge. 
  This 
  book, 
  " 
  based 
  

   on 
  personal 
  experience," 
  has 
  recently 
  appeared, 
  with 
  maps 
  and 
  illustrations, 
  under 
  the 
  

   title 
  of 
  "The 
  Hunting 
  Grounds 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  West." 
  (New 
  York, 
  Messrs. 
  G. 
  P. 
  Put- 
  

   nam's 
  Sons 
  ; 
  London, 
  Chatto 
  and 
  WindusV 
  

  

  I 
  

  

  