MAMMALS OF SAC COUNTY 
275 
were dug out of a miry place on the Platt Armstrong farm 
just east of the town of Lake View and one-fourth mile north 
of Wall lake (6). Bones and teeth were dug up about one 
mile north of the town of Wall Lake (7). I have a tooth dug 
up at this point, also a horn dug up in Wall Lake, and another 
horn plowed up several miles northwest of this town. 
A female buffalo was killed in June, 1858, on the county line 
between Buena Vista and Sac. The person killing her stated 
that the tallow was as yellow as gold, that she was a three 
year-old, and had never had a calf. He had also heard of two 
buffalo crossing the southwest corner of the county in 1860. They 
were killed near Jefferson (1). Three other buffalo were killed 
in Sac county west of Lake City by the Sifford boys (3). In 
1862 the Johnny Green Indians killed two buffalo on a hunt 
commencing one and one-half miles south of Newell and extend- 
ing to Ida Grove (5).. One buffalo was seen in 1863 one and 
one-half miles south and three miles west of Sac City, but it 
plunged through a slough and escaped*. The same man reported 
that he heard of five being killed near Lake City in 1862 (4). 
Elk or Wapiti ( Gervus canadensis). All the earliest settlers 
united in saying that elk were plentiful. They were found from 
solitary individuals to five hundred in a herd. This large herd 
was seen running seven miles north of Fonda. It covered two 
acres of ground and could be heard three miles away (4). The 
elk scattered out in summer time but in October herded together, 
remaining in herds until spring (4). In case of storms in win- 
ter they took refuge in reed and rush grown ponds, where the 
reeds and rushes were ten feet or more in height. At other 
times they would lie on the highest hills (3). 
An elk that swam Wall lake from the north in 1855 was shot 
by Hugh Cory’s father before it recovered from its exhaustion 
enough to leave the water (3). The elk were an important 
source of meat of the earliest settlers (1), their place being 
taken by deer later. Elk horns could be picked up by the wagon 
load in 1856 (1). One man captured three calves, running one 
down afoot, and raised them to over one year old (4). The last 
elk in Sac county was a herd of about forty, which was seen 
in October. 1869, and went from east of Storm lake, south 
through Sac county, crossing the “Goosepond” at Wall Lake 
(4). ' 
