Wichita National Forest and Game Preserve 3 



oak groves of the Wichita National Forest seem insignificant. Nev- 

 ertheless, when one considers the hundreds of square miles of almost 

 treeless prairies which stretch away beyond the range of vision on 

 all sides from the Wichita Mountains, these shady groves, sheltering 

 springs of sparkling mountain water and affording delightful rest- 

 ing places for relief from the heat of the plains, assume an import- 

 ance both economic and esthetic. 



WILD LIFE 



BUFFALO 



In 1905 the majority of American wild-life authorities, and par- 

 ticularly the American Bison Society, were convinced that, unless 

 remedial measures could be initiated, the American buffalo, or bison, 

 which once had roamed the western plains of the United States in 

 almost countless numbers, would soon become practically extinct. A 

 few small herds were at that time maintained in the far West and 



Fig. 1. — Buffalo bulls in the fenced pasture of the Wichita Game Preserve 



Northwest, and another in the New York Zoological Park. Know- 

 ing that the newly established Wichita Game Preserve embraced 

 some of the best grazing grounds of what was once the great south- 

 ern herd of American buffalo, it occurred to Dr. William T. Horna- 

 day, director of the New York Zoological Park, that an opportunity 

 had been created for the founding of a Government bison herd 

 under exceptionally favorable conditions. (Fig. 1.) 



In view of the light snowfall in Oklahoma, and the fact that 

 millions of buffalo had previously inhabited the plains of Oklahoma 

 and Texas all the year round, subsisting by grazing, it seemed 

 evident that it would be entirely possible for buffalo to maintain 

 themselves on the Wichita National Forest in the same way. Since 

 no species of large quadrupeds can be bred and perpetuated in the 

 confinement of zoological parks and gardens, even where the inci- 

 sures are as large as those of the one in New York, it was believed 

 that the only way to insure perpetuation of the buffalo would be 

 through the creation of herds maintained by the Government on 

 large areas of grazing grounds. 



