﻿560 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  were 
  totally 
  exterminated 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  (at 
  least, 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  

   present 
  State 
  of 
  Minnesota), 
  as 
  alread^^ 
  shown, 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  beginning 
  

   <of 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century. 
  Even 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  fifty 
  years 
  ago 
  they 
  occu- 
  

   pied 
  a 
  considerable 
  area 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains, 
  all 
  the 
  extensive 
  

   parks 
  and 
  valleys 
  within 
  these 
  mountains, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  vast 
  plains 
  and 
  

   prairies 
  between 
  them 
  and 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Eiver. 
  The 
  fur-hunters 
  and 
  

   trappers 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  begun 
  at 
  this 
  date 
  to 
  contribute 
  appreciably 
  

   toward 
  their 
  rapid 
  diminution, 
  but 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  the 
  

   " 
  overland 
  trails," 
  and 
  the 
  constant 
  passing 
  of 
  large 
  emigrant 
  parties 
  

   across 
  the 
  plains, 
  did 
  their 
  numbers 
  here 
  become 
  very 
  greatly 
  dimin- 
  

   ished. 
  Steadily 
  pressed 
  back 
  on 
  their 
  eastern 
  boundary 
  by 
  advancing 
  

   settlements, 
  they 
  were 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  rapidly 
  thinned 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  

   of 
  the 
  great 
  emigrant 
  routes. 
  These 
  thoroughfares 
  becoming 
  from 
  year 
  

   to 
  year 
  more 
  numerously 
  travelled, 
  especially 
  the 
  more 
  northern 
  route 
  by 
  

   way 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Pass, 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  were 
  driven 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  left 
  

   of 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  travel, 
  till 
  finally 
  by 
  this 
  intersection 
  their 
  range 
  was 
  

   divided 
  into 
  two 
  essentially 
  distinct 
  regions. 
  The 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  

   Union 
  Pacific 
  Railroad 
  completely 
  severed 
  the 
  northern 
  from 
  the 
  south- 
  

   ern 
  herds, 
  while 
  the 
  Kansas 
  Pacific 
  and 
  the 
  Atchison, 
  Topeka, 
  and 
  

   Santa 
  Fe 
  Eoads 
  opened 
  up 
  new 
  highways 
  to 
  their 
  most 
  populous 
  holds. 
  

   In 
  the 
  mean 
  time 
  adventurers 
  and 
  miners 
  eicher 
  gradually 
  exterminated 
  

   them 
  in 
  the 
  parks 
  and 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  or 
  drove 
  them 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  into 
  the 
  plains, 
  while 
  they 
  were 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  preyed 
  upon 
  by 
  

   the 
  great 
  buffalo-hunting 
  parties 
  from 
  the 
  Red 
  E,iver 
  Settlements 
  and 
  

   the 
  IJnited 
  States, 
  until 
  they 
  have 
  dwindled 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  hard-pressed 
  

   bands 
  lingering 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  least- 
  frequented 
  parts 
  of 
  their 
  formerly 
  

   almost 
  undisturbed 
  haunts. 
  

  

  A 
  century 
  ago 
  the 
  rapid 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  had 
  begun 
  to 
  

   attract 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  travellers, 
  Komans, 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1776, 
  alluding 
  to 
  

   the 
  wanton 
  destruction 
  of 
  " 
  this 
  excellent 
  beast, 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  perhaps 
  

   his 
  tongue 
  only^* 
  As 
  early 
  as 
  1820 
  Major 
  Long 
  thought 
  it 
  highly 
  

   desirable 
  that 
  some 
  law 
  should 
  be 
  enforced 
  for 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  the 
  

   bison 
  from 
  wanton 
  destruction 
  by 
  the 
  white 
  hunters, 
  who, 
  he 
  said, 
  were 
  

   accustomed 
  to 
  attack 
  large 
  herds, 
  and 
  from 
  mere 
  tcantonness 
  slaughter 
  

   as 
  many 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  able 
  and 
  leave 
  the 
  carcasses 
  to 
  be 
  devoured 
  by 
  

   the 
  wolves 
  and 
  birds 
  of 
  prey, 
  t 
  

  

  Gregg, 
  in 
  1835, 
  also 
  alludes 
  to 
  the 
  wanton 
  slaughter 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  

   by 
  travellers 
  and 
  hunters, 
  and 
  the 
  still 
  greater 
  havoc 
  made 
  among 
  them 
  

   by 
  the 
  Indians, 
  who 
  often 
  kill 
  them 
  merely 
  for 
  their 
  skins 
  and 
  tongues. 
  

   Their 
  total 
  annihilation 
  he 
  regarded 
  as 
  only 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  time, 
  although 
  

   he 
  believed 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  only 
  killed 
  for 
  food, 
  their 
  natural 
  increase 
  

   would 
  perhaps 
  replenish 
  the 
  loss. 
  | 
  Almost 
  every 
  intelligent 
  traveller 
  

   who 
  has 
  crossed 
  the 
  plains 
  or 
  spent 
  much 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  buffalo 
  country 
  

   has 
  also 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  this 
  exterminating 
  slaughter, 
  and 
  predicted 
  

   their 
  complete 
  annihilation 
  at 
  no 
  very 
  distant 
  date. 
  Some 
  writers 
  

   believed 
  twenty 
  or 
  thirty 
  years 
  ago 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  hardly 
  survive 
  to 
  

   the 
  present 
  time 
  unless 
  protected 
  by 
  the 
  government. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Leidy, 
  in 
  1853, 
  says: 
  "The 
  day 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  distant 
  when 
  it 
  [the 
  

   buffalo] 
  will 
  become 
  quite 
  extinct, 
  unless 
  protected 
  by 
  a 
  munificent 
  

   republic, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  Emperor 
  of 
  Russia 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   aurochs, 
  or 
  European 
  bison." 
  § 
  Professor 
  Baird, 
  writing 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  

   same 
  time, 
  says: 
  " 
  Still, 
  vast 
  as 
  these 
  herds 
  are, 
  their 
  numbers 
  are 
  much 
  

  

  * 
  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  Florida, 
  p. 
  174. 
  

  

  t 
  Long's 
  Expedition, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  p. 
  482. 
  

  

  t 
  Commerce 
  of 
  the 
  Prairies, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  213. 
  

  

  § 
  Mem. 
  Extinct 
  Species 
  of 
  American 
  Ox, 
  p. 
  4 
  (Smith. 
  Contrih., 
  Vol. 
  V, 
  Art. 
  iii.) 
  

  

  