The Buffalo Pasture

THE BUFFALO PASTURE

It has been estimated that before the coming of the Europeans to North America, there were over one hundred million buffalo (American Bison), which ranged from Canada to Mexico mostly between the Rockies and the Mississippi River.

In the 1830's, Colonel Dodge and a troop of Dragoons were crossing northern Oklahoma along the Cimarron River when they encountered a herd of buffalo.

The troop was forced to wait for five hours while the herd passed. The officers estimated that the herd was approximately one and one-quarter million animals.

In 1851 when Ft. Arbuckle was built seven miles west of Davis, Lt. Gleason wrote about going on buffalo hunts to procure meat for the troops. He noted that the prairie was covered with the great hairy beast. He also noted that the large requirement of meat for the troops that within four years there were no buffalo within ten miles of the post.

After the Civil War, President Grant wanted the west cleared of the nomadic tribes so the white settlers could establish farms and ranches. These tribes relied on the buffalo for their total subsistence.

The quickest way to corral the tribes was to kill off the buffalo. The U. S. Army furnished most of the ammunition for the buffalo hunters to hurry along the process of making the buffalo extinct. Once the buffalo, which supplied food, clothing and shelter for the Indians, were gone, the tribes would have to come in and settle on reservations.

A single expert shot could kill over 2,000 buffalo in one day. Only the hides were taken and wagons following the "killers" carried the skinners. The industrial revolution following the Civil War in the Northeast used most of the tough hides for drive belts in factories. The skins were also very much in demand for fashion in the East and Europe.

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians brought their hides to the Darlington Agency for trade. In 1876 they brought in 15,000 hides. In 1877 they brought in 640 hides and in 1878 they brought in no hides. The buffalo were gone. The last known wild buffalo in Oklahoma was killed in the 1890's in the Panhandle.

By 1900, the buffalo were nearly extinct. The sight of one was indeed a rare sight. President Theodore Roosevelt created what would become the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in 1906. In 1907 fifteen bison were shipped in from the New York Zoo.

From the beginning of Platt National Park, many people offered deer to the Park as an attraction. Colonel Greene wanted a preserve where antelope, deer, mountain sheep and buffalo could be exhibited but no provision for a compound was made. Supt. French recommended in 1913 the building of a 52-acre pasture in the south part of the park.

Supt. Ferris contacted Frank Rush of the Wichita Reserve near Cache, OK in 1919 about getting three buffalo for Platt. Rush informed Ferris that he would be glad to furnish Platt with three buffalo. Ferris wrote the Secretary that he wanted as many attractions as possible for the visitors. He also stated that there was plenty of forage for the animals as well as feedstuff, such as alfalfa, raised at the Park.

The same year Ferris also began attempts to obtain elk and antelope for the Park. In February of 1920 the first buffalo arrived. They didn't cost the Park anything since they were donated and the Sulphur Chamber of Commerce paid the shipping cost. The animals shipped were a 2-year-old bull, a 2-year-old heifer and a heifer yearling. A bull elk calf was requested from Yellowstone and received in 1922. The Sulphur Chamber of Commerce once again paid the shipping cost.

At first the elk and buffalo were placed in the same pasture but later there were separate compounds. The buffalo compound was northeast of the Pavilion Springs and the elk compound was in the flat just west of the Pavilion.

The park superintendent reported in 1924 that: "Our animals are a source of much enjoyment. The elk are very fond of being fed and will follow tourist around the fence in the hope of getting eats. The deer are also very tame and will eat from your hand. The buffalo do not care for society but would rather be by themselves. This year we have another baby elk making four elk here now."

The buffalo were native to this area and did rather well. The elk however were not native to this area and failed to thrive. They were poor, small and could not tolerate conditions. It was decided in January of 1935 to eliminate the elk herd.

When the CCC was established in Platt in 1933 one of the major projects was the relocation of the elk and buffalo compound. An area of 97 acres was chosen south of the Park headquarters. Heavy mesh wire with steel post set in concrete was installed. The fence was seven feet tall.

A dam was built in the southwest part of the buffalo pasture. The dam was 200 feet long, seventy feet wide at the base and twenty feet wide at the top. The surface area of the pond was three acres.

Supt. Branch reported in 1939 that the herd had reached 21 animals. This was too many for the small pasture so an effort was made to eliminate some of the animals. The size of the pasture would only accommodate 8 to 10 buffalo without feeding them year round.

The surplus animals were donated to various Indian tribes around Oklahoma. Branch noted in a letter to the Secretary that the herd was the largest and most accessible in the country and it was incumbent upon the Park Service to maintain the herd.

From the late 1930's to the 1960's various Indian tribes kept a mailing list in the park to be notified when surplus meat became available.

The buffalo had been a drawing card for Platt for years. Thousands of tourists visited the buffalo every year. At a time when the wooly creatures were nearly extinct, Platt National Park furnished the average person with a glimpse into the past. There is hardly a child who came to visit the Park who does not remember the buffalo as the highlight of their visit.