30 THE AMERICAN BISON IN" THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. 



Kimball has referred the same to the State census bureau for the infor- 

 mation required. 



I have the honor to be, sir, most respectfully, yours, 



Charles H. Howland, 



Executive Secretary. 



Hon. E. A. Hitchcock, 



Secretary of the Interior, Washington. 



Note. — No further communication has been received from the governor. 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



State of South Carolina, Executive Chamber, 



Columbia, February 10, 1902. 

 Dear Sir: Replying to your letter of the 3d, inclosing a resolution 

 of the Senate dated the 30th ultimo, Governor McSweeny directs me 

 to say that there are no buffaloes or bison in this State, and there have 

 not been for a good many years, either running wild or domesticated. 

 Yours, very truly, 



E. H. Hull, Private Secretary. 



Hon. E. A. Hitchcock, 



Secretary of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 



SOUTH DAKOTA. 



State of South Dakota, Executive Chamber, 



Pierre, February 10, 1902. 



Dear Sir: Your favor of the 3d instant at hand. In reply will give 

 you the following statement of facts obtained from Stephen A. Travis, 

 of this city, who for twenty j^ears has been a resident of this part of 

 the country, and who is personally familiar with the facts. 



Some time in 1880 or 1881, Fred Dupree, an old French trapper, 

 who lived on Cheyenne River, recognizing the fact that the buffalo 

 herds of the Northwest were becoming practically extinct, started out 

 with a party of Indians and half-breeds and in the vicinity of Slim 

 Butte, in the northwest part of South Dakota, captured three or four 

 buffalo calves out of one of the small herds still ranging in that sec- 

 tion. He brought them to his ranch on Cheyenne River, where they 

 were protected and allowed to roam at will from that time until 

 about one year ago. During this time he had accumulated from this 

 beginning a herd of about 60 full-blood buffaloes and about the same 

 number of half-breeds. 



On the death of Dupree, and in the settlement of the estate, this 

 herd was sold to Mr. James Philip, of Fort Pierre. He constructed 

 a large pasture near Fort Pierre, surrounded by a fence 7 feet high 

 built of woven and barb wire, in which he placed the full bloods, and 

 allowed the mixed bloods to run with his large herd of cattle on the 

 range. All the full bloods are in this pasture, with the exception of 

 1 bull, which has always refused to be driven from his accustomed 

 range, and is now running with the naff-breeds. 



