March 2, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
3 2 9 
Buffalo Memorials. 
II.—The Buffalo Chip. 
“No object seen by the traveler over the 
plains is more humble and more unobtrusive 
than the buffalo chip. Its creator was the 
greatest, the most striking feature of the old 
prairie, but the relic which he left behind, and 
which has so long survived him, is the least. 
It is dull in color, and inconspicuous in size 
and shape. Like the violet, it is modest and 
hides itself beneath its taller neighbors the 
tufts of bunch grass or the scraggy sage brush. 
It shuns observation, simulating the stones, 
bits of wood and lumps of dirt which surround 
it. No one would suspect that so inconspicu¬ 
ous an object has been a benefactor to.human¬ 
ity. Yet it has saved many a life, has given 
food and warmth, sustenance and strength, to 
many a suffering mortal. This it has done 
modestly, quietly. The buffalo chip makes no 
boasts, but in time of need its lovely qualities 
shine forth like a good deed in a naughty 
world.” 
On the high plains of the arid West the buf¬ 
falo chip remains to-day an enduring memorial. 
Formed of finely comminuted prairie grass, its 
surface remains year after year unaffected by 
the weather, except that annually’ it grows a little 
harder, until at last it will almost turn the edge 
of an ordinary knife.' The winter’s snows 
beat upon it without changing it, the spring rains 
merely dampen its surface, and even a long 
storm hardly wets through the sixteenth part 
of an inch. The destruction of the chip comes 
from below, where dampness is held, where 
insects bore and burrow, and where moisture 
and the richness of the ground encourage a 
growth of vegetation. Around the chip's border 
grow taller stalks of grass and weeds, some¬ 
times forcing their way through its thin mar¬ 
gin. So gradually, but very slowly, the ma¬ 
terial of the chip is eaten away from the un¬ 
derside, until at last merely a shell is left, 
which some day the wind will pick up and 
roll along, and which may then easily be 
broken up and disappear. Yet, to-day, over 
many portions of the plains genuine buffalo 
chips may be found in large numbers. Often 
on a dry place they are almost unchanged, and 
might be thought to be only a year or two 
old. Again they are surrounded by a thick 
fringe of vegetation, and are firmly anchored 
to the ground by it. Often these oldest ones 
are full of holes bored in them by insects or 
larvae of some fly or beetle that has deposited 
its eggs in the mass while yet it was fresh. 
In the early days of travel over the tree¬ 
less plains, the buffalo chip often furnished the 
only fuel that was to be had. The dry chips 
burned slowly and made a hot and fairly last¬ 
ing fire, over the coals of which cooking was 
done with a great deal of comfort. After 
camp had been made the first duty of all hands 
was to scatter over the surrounding prairie 
with gunny sacks, blankets and hats to gather 
' .* ' *’‘’22’ v? 13,, 
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“PILE THEM IN ROWS, THE STONES,” 
Lines of stones laid down in prehistoric times to maik approach to Blackfoot buffalo pound. 
