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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 75-26,558 CODER, George David, 1937- THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT TO PRESERVE THE AMERICAN BUFFALO IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA BETWEEN 1880 AND 1920. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1975 History, modern Xerox University Microfiims,Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 0 1975 GEORGE DAVID CODER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT TO PRESERVE THE AMERICAN BUFFALO IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA BETWEEN 1880 AND I92O DISSERTATION .Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By ,George D. Coder, B.S., M.A. r ***** The Ohio State University 1975 Reading Committee; Approved by: Dr. Mary E. Young Dr. Merton L. Dillon Dr. Mansel G. Blackford Adv Department istory ABSTRACT .THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT TO PRESERVE THE AMERICAN BUFFALO IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA BETWEEN 1880 AND I920 by George D. Coder The Ohio State University, 1975 Professor Mary E. Young, Adviser Before the end of the buffalo slaughter six men in different parts of North America captured young calves and established nucleus herds from which the specie was regenerated. The efforts of these men are discussed in the first chapter and a census of buffalo taken in I888 is examined which reveals that the specie was not in as much danger as was popularly thought. The second chapter examines the only public herd at that time which was in Yellowstone National Park. A poaching problem here was due to an absence of legal authority on the part of Park officials. They were only empowered to confiscate the equipment of a poacher and expel him from the Park. An extravagant case of a poacher caught with eleven dead buffalo is discussed. 11 This case focused national attention on the Park's problem and resulted in a law strengthening the hand of Park authorities. The formation of another small public herd at the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C, is also examined in this chapter. By the first years of the twentieth century the private herds were becoming too large and too much of an expense for their owners. The third chapter discusses the formation of the American Bison Society, a group of concerned people who came together to lobby for a trans­ fer of this responsibility from private to public hands. In the very act of being b o m this Society was indirectly responsible for the establishment of a buffalo herd in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma, and the formation of this herd is also discussed. At this^ time the Canadian Government, was also in­ terested in the fate of the buffalo. Unbeknown to Ameri­ can authorities the Canadians went into Montana and bought the largest private herd in existence. The fourth chapter discusses this purchase and devotes considerable attention to the round-up and shipment of these animals to their new home. Back in the East the Canadian coup seemed to make the U. S. Government more receptive to the overtures of the American Bison Society. The Society offered the Gov- iii emment free nucleus herds if the Government would provide the land and the fencing. Following this formula four more national herds were established in the United States. This fifth chapter discusses the founding of these herds and makes the point that at this time in the first decade of the twentieth century the buffalo's survival was al­ ready assured. By the 1920's the buffalo became a surplus problem, expanding beyond the carrying capacity of the preserves. The“Government auctioned off these excess animals. As a result of this policy private owners increased in number and eventually formed themselves into the National Buffalo Association which today produces meat and hides on a com­ mercial basis. The final chapter very briefly brings this story up to the present. The paper closes with a discus­ sion of the buffalo movement in the context of the conser- vation crusade of the early twentieth century and offers the conclusion that the buffalo was not as near to ex­ tinction as was previously thought. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT 11 Chapter I. THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT TO PRESERVE THE AMERICAN BUFFALO IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA BETWEEN I88O AND I92O . A. McKay-Alloway Herd B. Charles Goodnight Herd C. Walking Coyote Herd D. Frederick Dupree Herd E. Charles J. Jones Herd II. THE BEGINNINGS OF PUBLIC PROTECTION . 63 III. FORMATION OF THE AMERICAN BISON SOCIETY 118 IV. CANADIAN PURCHASE OF THE PABLO HERD . 171 V. THE WORK OF THE AMERICAN BISON SOCIETY . 252 A. National Bison Range Herd B. Wind Cave Herd C. Niobrara Herd D. /Sully ' s Hill Herd E. Other Work of the American Bison Society VI. CONCLUSIONS 307 ' BIBLIOGRAPHY 337 CHAPTER I ESTABLISHMENT OP PRIVATE HERDS Much has been written about the slaughter of the huge herds of buffalo that roamed throughout large areas of this country in the 19th century.^ From an estimated 6 0 ,000,000 the species was reduced to something less than 1,000 head,2 As the mighty herd began to melt away before the advance of settlement, concerned individuals raised a cry of alarm. Until the l8?0's, however, those who urged caution and restraint elicited little attention. Congress looked into the matter, and after a couple of futile at­ tempts finally succeeded in passing legislation intended to curb the wastefulness of the slaughter. President Grant failed to give even this mild measure his signature, and the buffalo remained at the mercy of the hunter.3 At the same time government action was proving fdtile, private individuals in several parts of North America began to take a hand in the matter.^ They cap­ tured buffalo calves from the shrinking herds of remain­ ing animals and gave these captives the care and protec­ tion they needed to survive. The buffalo probably had more benefactors in this respect than history will record, but almost every animal in our public herds today can trace his origin to the activities of James McKay, Charles Alloway, Charles Goodnight, Walking Coyote, Frederick Dupree, and Charles J. Jones.5 McKAY-ALLOWAY HERD Over the long flat prairie in a creaking Red River cart, James McKay slowly followed the dusty trail through the uninviting land between St. Paul and Edmonton. B o m near Edmonton in the year 1828 of a Scottish Highland father and a Metis woman from Quebec, McKay not only knew English, French, Cree and several Indian dialects, but also possessed an expert knowledge of the northern prairie country and was a master outdoorsman. His 3^0 pound frame was nimble enough to spring over the back of his horse, much to the amazement of the British explorers who eagerly sought his services as a guide. Long association with exploring parties in his younger days greatly improved his speech and manners, and this experience served him well after he had acquired a modest fortune in the freight- ening business and was elected chairman of the first Legis­ lative Council aft;r Manitoba entered Confederation in 1870. In a harsh frontier land the Honorable James McKay was a successful and respected leader among his contem­ poraries, both Indian and whice.^ In 1870, when Colonel Garnet Wolseley was ordered Into the Red River Valley to put down the Riel Rebellion, Charles and William Alloway were among the 700 men compris- ing the expedition. The two brothers decided to settle in Port Garry, now Winnipeg. William Alloway had some experience as a veterinarian and McKay, with a stable of racing horses valued at $100,000, was pleased to secure his services and invited the brothers to live at Deer Lodge, his estate at Headingly on the Assiniboine River 28 miles west of Port Garry.