THE EXTERMINATION OF THE AMERICAN BISON. 489 



Although the bison formerly ranged to Fort Garry (near Winnipeg), 

 they had been steadily killed off and driven back, and in 1840 none were 

 found by the expedition until it was 250 miles from Pembina, which is 

 situated on the lied River, at the international boundary. At that time 

 the extinction of the species from the Red River to the Cheyenne was 

 practically complete. The Red River settlers, aided, of course, by the 

 Indians of that region, are responsible for the extermination of the bison 

 throughout northeastern Dakota as far as the Cheyenne River, northern 

 Minnesota, and the whole of what is now the province of Manitoba. 

 More than that; as the game grew scarce and retired farther and 

 faither, the half-breeds, who despised agriculture as long as there was 

 a buffalo to kill, extended their hunting operations westward along the 

 Qu'Appelle until they encroached upon the hunting-grounds of the Plain 

 Crees, who lived in the Saskatchewan country. 



Thus was an immense inroad made in the northern half of the herd 

 which had previously covered the entire pasture region from the Great 

 Slave Lake to central Texas. This was the first visible impression of 

 the systematic killing which began in 1820. Up to 1840 it is reasonably 

 certain, as will be seen by figures given elsewhere, that by this business- 

 like method of the half-breeds, at least 652,000 buffaloes were destroyed 

 b3 7 them alone. 



Even as early as 1840 the Red River hunt was prosecuted through 

 Dakota southwestwardly to the Missouri River and a short distance 

 beyond it. Here it touched the wide strip of territory, bordering that 

 stream, which was even then being regularly drained of its animal re- 

 sources by the Indian hunters, who made the river their base of opera- 

 tions, and whose robes were shipped on its steam-boats. 



It is certain that these annual Red River expeditions into Dakota 

 were kept up as late as 1847, and as long thereafter as buffaloes were to 

 be found in any number between the Cheyenne and the Missouri. At 

 the same time, the White Horse Plains division, which hunted west- 

 ward from Fort Garry, did its work of destruction quite as rapidly and 

 as thoroughly as the rival expedition to the United States. 



In 1857 the Plains Crees, inhabiting the country around the head- 

 waters of the Qu'Appelle River (250 miles due west from Winnipeg), 

 assembled in council, and " determined that in consequence of promises 

 often made and broken by the white men and half-breeds, and the rapid 

 destruction by them of the buffalo they fed on, they would not permit 

 either white men or half-breeds to hunt in their country., or travel 

 through it, except for the purpose of trading for their dried meat, pein- 

 mican, skins and robes.'' 



In 1858 the Crees reported that between the two branches of the Sas- 

 katchewan buffalo were a very scarce." Professor Hind's expedition 

 saw only one buffalo in the whole course of their journey from Winni- 

 peg until they reached Sand Hill Lake, at the head of the Qu'Appelle, 

 near the south branch of the Saskatchewan, where the first herd was 



