500 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



southern plains, having less contact with whites, use skius for their 

 lodges, clothing, bedding, par-fleches, saddles, lariats, for almost every- 

 thing. The number of robes sent to market represent only what we 

 may call the foreign exchange of these tribes, and is really not more 

 than one-tenth of the skins taken. To be well within bounds I will as- 

 sume that one robe sent to market by these Indians represents six dead 

 buffaloes. 



u Those bands of Sioux who live at the agencies, and whose peltries 

 are taken to market by the Union Pacific Eailroad, live in lodges of 

 cotton cloth furnished by the Indian Bureau. They use much civilized 

 clothing, bedding, boxes, ropes, etc. For these luxuries they must pay 

 in robes, and as the buffalo range is far from wide, and their yearly 

 'crop' small, more than half of it goes to market." 



Leaving out of the account at this point all consideration of the kill- 

 ing done north of the Union Pacific Eailroad, Colonel Dodge's figures 

 are as follows : 



Southern buffaloes slaughtered by southern Indians. 



Indians. 



Sent to 

 market. 



No. of dead 

 buffaloes 

 repre- 

 sented. 



Kiowas.Coinanehes, Cheyennes, Arapahoes. 

 and other Indians whose robes go over the 

 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Eailroad.. 



Sioux at agencies, Union Pacific Eailroad 



19, 000 

 10,000 



29, 000 



114. 000 

 ]G, uOO 



130,000 

 390, 000 



Total for the three years 1872-1874 







Eeference has already been made to the fact that during those years 

 an immense number of buffaloes were killed by the farmers of eastern 

 Kansas and Nebraska for their meat. Mr. William Mitchell, of Wa- 

 baunsee, Kansas, stated to the writer that "in those days, when buf- 

 faloes were plentiful in western Kansas, pretty much everybody made 

 a trip West in the fall and brought back a load of buffalo meat. 

 Everybody had it in abundance as long as buffaloes remained in any 

 considerable number. Very few skins were saved; in fact, hardly any, 

 for the reason that nobody knew how to tan them, and they always 

 spoiled. At first a great many farmers tried to dress the green hides 

 that they brought back, but they could not succeed, and finally gave up 

 trying. Of course, a great deal of the meat killed was wasted, for only 

 the best parts were brought back." 



The Wichita (Kansas) World of February 9, 1889, contains the fol- 

 lowing reference : 



" In 1871 and 1872 the buffalo ranged within 10 miles of Wichita, and 

 could be counted by the thousands. The town, then in its infancy, was 

 the headquarters for a vast number of buffalo-hunters, who plied their 

 occupation vigorously during the winter. The buffalo were killed 

 principally for their hides, and daily wagon trains arrived in town 



