"'Buffalo, Rocky Mountain
Park, Banff, Canadian Rockies"
"Photo Copyright Wm. Notman & Son"
Original vintage
color lithograph postcard, 1910
8.8 x 13.5 cm
Herd of Bison
"Harry Shipler, Photographer
Salt Lake City, Utah" Original vintage
photograph,
c. 1910
Mount: 10 x 20.5 cm
General Lawton,
(see below), age 24 Wichita National
Wildlife Reservation, Oklahoma
"234976"
Original vintage photograph, 1929
8.8 x 11.6 cm
General Lawton (see below), age 18,
and his herd at Wichita National Wildlife Reservation, Oklahoma
"40010A"
Original vintage photograph, 1923
10.6 x 16.3 cm
"Scotty Phillip's Buffalo Ranch, six miles North of Ft. Pierre, S. D."
"No. 922. Pub for Guy L. Hart, by Bloom Bros., Minneapolis,
Minn. Made in Germany."
Original vintage collotype postcard, 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"Pride of the Scotty Philip Herd, Pierre"
"Printed for H. M. Straight & Co., Pierre"
Original vintage lithograph postcard, 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"Montana Pioneers"
"Copyrighted by J. A. Elliot, Butte, Mont. Dec. 19, '09"
"Published by Cohn Bros, Importers and Jobbers, Butte, Mont.
Original vintage photochrome postcard, 1909 9 x 13.7 cm
"Montana Pioneers. - The
great Allard herd of buffalo being rounded up
by Charles Allard,
the owner, assisted by his famous Indian Cowboys.
This picture was take in 1892."
Buffalo
" 208 - Illustrated Postal Card Co., New York, Germany"
"Printed in Germany"
" Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
" No. 114D. Buffalo
Herd"
" New York Zoological Park"
"85687 Only official postcard, New York Zoological Society,
Publishers. (Germany)."
Original vintage collotype postcard, c. 1905 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo on the Wichita Game Reserve Near Lawton, Okla"
"40383 - C"
"Made by Curt Teich & Co., Inc., Chicago, U.S.A."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, 1934 9 x 13.7 cm
" A 103 - American Bison"
" Rembrant Post Card"
"Published by W. E. Noble, Colorado Springs, Colo"
"Color Reproduction by Pikes Peak Lithographic Co."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1950 9 x 13.7 cm
"These huge beasts weigh
nearly two thousand pounds.
At one time the plains were literally blackened with their vast
numbers."
"
R 34 Monarchs of the Plains"
"Published by Rushmore Photo, 520 6th St., Rapid City, S. D."
Original vintage photochrome postcard, c. 1915 9 x 13.7 cm
"Monarchs
of the Plains. The last of their race. Buffalo in the State
and National Parks of South Dakota.
One of the largest buffalo herds left are in the Black Hills of South
Dakota."
"
Montana
Buffalo" "Mirro Krome Card
by H. S. Crocker Co." Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1950 14
x 17.7 cm
"The
National Bison Range at Moiese, Montanna is the home of one of the
largest
herds of buffalo in the U.S. Auto tours are conducted here in the
summer."
"96
Buffalo Banff"
"Canadian Pacific Rockies.
Photographed and Copyrighted by
Byron Harmon, Banff, Canada"
Original vintage photograph postcard, c. 1905 9 x 13.7 cm
"
Buffalo N. Y."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, 1911 9 x 13.7 cm
"226
- Buffalo on the Range in the Rockies"
"Sanborn Souvenir Co., Denver, Colo. 7A10-N"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard (1937), c. 1960 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo
once swarmed over the plains from the mountains to the Mississippi,
congregating
in herds of untold numbers that extended for miles. They furnished
hides and meat
to the Indians and in later years many of the noted scouts gained much
of their
reputations from their exploits in buffalo killing. These animals
once so numerous
are now reduced to a few scattered herds."
"
The Adam and Eve of America"
"Published by W. T. Ridgley Calendar Co., Great Falls, Mont"
Original vintage lithograph postcard, 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"9238
Buffalo at Water "
"Copyright 1905 by Detroit Publishing Co."
" 'Phostint' Card Made only by Detroit Publishing Co." Photographed in
1884 by C A Kendrick
Original vintage photochrome postcard, 1905 9 x 13.7 cm
" Buffalo
N. Y."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"8819 Buffalo Herd Near
Fort Yellowstone"
"Copr. Detroit Photographic Co."
" 'Phostint' Card Made only by Detroit Publishing Co."
Original vintage photochrome postcard, 1909 9 x 13.7 cm
"
Buffalo Herd 05" Original vintage
lithograph postcard, c. 1925 9 x 13.7 cm
"'83. A Few of the
Remaining American Bison - Yellowstone National Park"
"1925, A C Co." Original vintage
color lithograph stereoview,
1925
9 x 17.7 cm
"10692 -
Roaming 'Monarch of the Plain.'
The Buffalo in his Snow-bound
Home, B. C., Can."
"Keystone View Company, 1903"
Original vintage photograph stereoview, 1903 9 x 17.7 cm
"It is most likely too late to preserve the lordly American bison from
extinction.
About 500 head still exist, under legal protection in
parks and zoological gardens.
A few still roam wild in the forests
south of the Great Slave Lake.
The extermination began about 1860 and was pursued mercilessly from 1865
to1875,
about 2,000,000 hides a year being sold for ten years, at an
average of $1.00 each.
The Indians slaughtered great numbers, but
a veritable army of white hunters destroyed
the enormous herds on the
prairies as if they were cattle in the shambles.
Now, where the
first railroad trains were stopped by passing herds,
or even steamboats
halted in the Upper Missouri by swimming herds in the river,
not a bison
remains except a few captives.
The specimens before us are the herd of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal,
his real name is Smith...preserved in the beautiful Rocky Mountains Park of Canada,
among the
towering peaks, lakes, glaciers and snow-fields of the Canadian Rockies"
"10137 - A Buffalo Head, Yellowstone Park"
"Haynes - Photo"
"Published by Haynes, St. Paul.
Official Photographer, Yellowstone
National Park"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1920 9 x 13.7 cm
"A Herd of Buffaloes 264"
"Published by Scheuber Drug Co., Livingston, Mont."
"Made in U.S.A."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"The
buffalo in Yellowstone Park are in two herds one on the Lamar River
and at
Mammoth Hot Springs, the success already attained
in rearing these animals which
are under Government protection
is very encouraging."
"Buffalo
in City Park, Portland, Oregon "
"1132. Publ. by The Portland Post Card Co., Portland, Ore."
"Made in Germany"
Original vintage photochrome postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"Wild
Buffalo, one of America's 'first families,' at home on a sunny slope,
Yellowstone Park, U.S.A."
"Underwood and Underwood Publishers.
New York. London. Toronto - Canada. Ottawa - Kansas."
"Copyright 1904 by Underwood and Underwood."
Original vintage photograph stereoview, 1904 9 x 17.7 cm
"A
Killing of Cows & Spikes"
(Also titled "Five Minute's Work")
"Copyright 1907 by L. A. Huffman"
"The Huffman Pictures, Milestown, Montana"
Photograph by L. A. Huffman , 1881
Original vintage collotype postcard, 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"A
KILLING OF COWS AND SPIKES. Printed from the original negative
taken in
the Smokey Butte country in 1881, near the end of the great
tragedy,
the extermination of the American bison by red men and white,
which was then nearing
its culmination, between the Missouri and the
Yellowstone, during the late seventies.
Nine dead animals are
shown. The killing was scattered over a mile of rough breaks,
and
numbered a total of forty
cows and young bulls in all.
What an AWFUL waste it was!"
(L. A. Huffman)
"Buffaloes
in Pt Defiance Park, Tacoma, Wash. 5172"
"The PCK Series. Made in Germany"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"The
Buffalo Hunt"
From a painting by R. Atkinson Fox Original vintage
color lithograph postcard, 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo Bull"
"Copyright 1906, by Everett Harold Baynes, Meriden, N. H." Original vintage lithograph postcard, 1906 9 x 13.7 cm
"C.
S. Co. 1 - Canadian Buffaloes"
"C. S. Co. Ltd. Winnipeg" Original vintage
collotype postcard, 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"Bison on the U. S. Reserve - Moise, Montana"
"J. W. Meiers Polson, Mont." Original vintage
photograph postcard,
c. 1940 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo
or Bison, Banff National Park,
Canada
Along the Line of the Canadian Pacific Railway" "Copyrighted by Byron
Harmon, Banff, Canada"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1920-30 9 x 13.7 cm
"8818 The Largest
Living Buffalo Bull"
"Copr. Detroit Photographic Co."
" 'Phostint' Card Made only by Detroit Publishing Co."
Original vintage photochrome postcard, 1909 9 x 13.7 cm
"Old
Bill, Father of the Herd, Buffalo, N. Y."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, 1912 9 x 13.7 cm
"No
157. Buffalo Herd, near Ft. Yellowstone, Yellowstone Park."
"Haynes Photo"
"Published by Haynes, St. Paul,
Official Photographer, Yellowstone National Park."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1910 - 1920 9 x 13.7 cm
" No. 21. American Bison"
"Photo by F. W. Bond"
" From the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, Regent's
Park. N. W."
Original vintage lithograph postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"One
of the Buffalo Herds in the
Theodore Roosevelt National Park - 74"
"Montana Postcard and Souvenir Co., Box 1157, Miles City, Montana 59301"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1970 9 x 13.7 cm
"12.
Buffaloes Grazing. Yellowstone National Park"
"Published by J. L. Robbins Co., Spokane, Wash. Made in U. S. A."
"C. T. Photochrom A 6916"
Original vintage photochrome postcard, c. 1916 9 x 13.7 cm
"
51051 Bison (Buffalo) Herd"
"Copr. Haynes"
Original vintage photograph postcard, c. 1930-40 9 x 13.7 cm
" 686. Buffalo and
Elk in City Park, Denver, Colorado"
"7-19-10" (Handwritten)
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo at Wind Cave National Park
In the Black Hills of South Dakota - 340" "Published by
Dakota News
Agency, Sioux Falls, S. D.
A 'Natural Color Card' by E. C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, Wis. - FIL" Original
vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1930-40
9 x 13.7 cm
"At Wind
Cave National Park, a few miles from Hot Springs, buffalo roam wild
on
the rolling hills
as they did when the Indian pursued them many years
ago.
Hundreds of these
huge animals are in the Wind Cave herd, and
can be seen from
the highway
by the traveler as he passes through the
Park."
" Buffalo, N. Y."
" No. 1. Published by S. H. K. & Co., Buffalo, N. Y."
"Made in Germany"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1906 9 x 13.7 cm
" Buffalo Herd. New
York Zoological Park"
" 55714 Only official post card. New York Zoological
Society, Publishers. (Germany)"
Original vintage collotype postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
" 285 Buffalo
State Game Park "
" Rise Studio - Rapid City, S. D."
Original vintage photograph postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
" Buffalo Chase"
" Published by W. T. Ridgley Calendar Co., Great Falls, Mont."
Original vintage lithograph postcard, 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"
Bull Buffalo "
"Wind Cave National Park, Black Hills, S. Dak."
"Black Hills Novelty and Mfg. Co., Box 1589, Rapid City, S. D."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1930 -1940
"The buffalo herd at the Wind Cave National Park is one of the largest
in the United States. The herd is usually visible from the road
through the Park,
and every summer many tourists are able to get excellent pictures of
them.
Buffalo can be extremely dangerous when aroused, and it is advisable for
the tourist to
stay near his car when photographing them."
" Forest Park, Springfield, Mass."
" The big BULL BUFFALO, one of a pair from the Corbin Preserve, New
Hampshire."
"A great attraction of Springfield's Zoo - A-446)"
"Photo Type Postcard"
"By Geo. S. Graves, Springfield, Mass."
Original vintage lithograph postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
Buffalo - Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma
"Viewgram BLC-44"
"Scotty's Barbeque 3 Miles West on Highway 66 Vinata,
Oklahoma"
"Baxtone, Box 175, Amrillo, Texs, Made in U.S.A."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1950
"One of a herd of 600 Buffalo in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife
Refuge,
photographed and painted by C.
Faye Barnett."
.
"Buffalo
(Bison bison)"
"N-11 Color Photo by W. J. Gibbons, AMPA"
" 'Made in Canada. Agency Press Ltd."
"Banff, Alberta, Canada"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, 1966 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo
(Bison bison)
Sixty million buffalo once roamed the plains of this continent.
These numbers were
hopelessly decimated as civilization moved westward
after 100 and brought
greedy hunters who wantonly slaughtered the herds
to the level of near extinction.
Many bloody battles were fought
between the white hunters and the Indians,
who depended upon the buffalo
for food, clothing and shelter.
Protection of the last few
surviving buffalo and the creation of reserves finally brought them
back
to the point were today they number 15,000 in Canada and 10,000 in the
States."
"63
- Buffaloes in the State Park, Black Hills. So. Dak."
"80236 N Genuine Curt Teich - 'Chicago C. T. American Art'
Distributed by Black Hills Post Card Co., Deadwood, S. D."
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, 1919 9 x 13.7 cm
"3743
B - American Bison. New York Zoological Park"
"Copyrighted - New York Zoological Society, Publishers.
Quadri-Color Co., New York"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
" Iron Tail. The famous
Indian Chief"
" Montana Souvenir Company, Miles City, Montana"
Original vintage lithograph postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
Buffalo Nickel,
1935
(Five Cent Indian Head)
U. S. Coin
21.2 mm diameter; 1.5 mm thick
Designed by sculptor James Earl Fraser,
the Buffalo nickel or five cent piece was minted
in the United States
from 1913 through 1938. Although aficionados prefer the name
Buffalo Nickel, the official name of the coin is the Five Cent Indian
Head.
Millions upon millions were minted (the US Mint claims the
number to be 1.2 billion)
over the 26 years of its life, and the record
price paid for a particular rare stamping
is a million and a quarter US
dollars. Although named the Buffalo Nickel,
it is in fact an American
Bison that is depicted (buffaloes are found in India and Africa,
the
bison is related to the European Bison and the Canadian Woods Bison).
The
Native American on the obverse of the coin is a composite portrait of
three chiefs,
Iron Tail (see above), Two Moons (also known as Adoeette), and maybe John
Big Tree;
the "buffalo" on the reverse is an American Bison, thought to
be one named
Black Diamond from the Central Park Zoo in New York City.
If true, it may be related to the Bronx Zoo herd, and therefore to General Lawton (above) as well.
President Teddy Roosevelt
instigated the design and minting of this coin;
his
affection for the Old West and his respect for the Native American
fostered the symbolism and iconography. The coin's daily use by millions
for 26 years
without doubt contributed to maintaining the memory of the
"Indian," the "Buffalo"
and their relationship for an extended time
period.
The coin was replaced in 1939 by the Jefferson Nickel; the
pony-tailed president
and his personal mansion continue to ride in our
pockets and purses to this day,
with no more respect and honor than
was afforded the buffalo and its native partner.
One in 25,000 nickels in circulation today is still a Buffalo Nickel.
Buffalo Nickel, 2005
U. S. Coin
21.2 mm diameter; 1.5 mm thick
U. S. $10 Note
- Bison / Buffalo, 1901
Gold Certificate - Legal Tender
FR-122
Issued to stimulate interest
in the
Lewis and Clark
Centennial Exposition
held in Portland Oregon in 1905. It features
"Buffalo Bill" (sic) in the center
flanked by
portraits of Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark.
Indian Hunting Buffalo, 1898
The Trans-Mississippi Issue
U. S.
4˘
Stamp
Scott -287
Issued to
promote the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition
held in Omaha, Nebraska in 1898. This stamp was originally
designed in two colors,
but due to Bureau of Engraving's production of
revenue stamps to fund
the Spanish-American War, it was issued in one
color. In 1998, 100 years later,
it was re-issued in it's original
bi-color design (Scott 3209).
American Buffalo, 1923
U. S. 30˘
Stamp
Scott -569
Wildlife Conservation, The American Buffalo, 1970
U. S. 6˘
Stamp
Scott -1392
Bison Stamp 1981
U. S. 18˘
Stamp
Scott -1883
Bison, 2001
U. S. 21˘
Stamp
Scott -3468
"Buffalo Chase," 1972
Indians of the Plains
Les Indiens des Plaines
Aboriginal Peoples Series
(From painting by George Catlin)
Canada 8˘
Stamp
Scott (Canada) -562
"American Wildlife Commemorative Series of 1987"
"Official First Day of Issue"
"Bison"
"First Day of Issue"
"USPS CAPEX Sta. .
Toronto, Canada
Jun 13 1987"
U. S.
22˘
Stamp on Envelope
"This is
a typical large buffalo bull (American Bison) of the herd
of
approximately
one thousand in Yellowstone National Park."
"Buffalo - Yellowstone Park" "Haynes - Photo
<Collotype> Made in Germany" Original vintage
collotype postcard, 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo
on the Range, Flathead Valley, Montana" "Published by
James R.
White, Kalispell, Mont. 60910 W" Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1930 9 x 13.7 cm
"9 - The Buffalo"
"Oregon Trail Monument Expedition Post Card"
"Published by Ezra Meeker, Seattle, Wash. " Original vintage
lithograph postcard,
c. 1906 9 x 13.7 cm
"Once so vast
in
number but now extinct on the Plains this illustration will revive
the
memories of Pioneers of what was so often seen and quite too often
dreaded
in the wild stampedes led by just such fellows as here
illustrated."
"Buffalo - Canadian National Park, Banff,
Canadian Pacific Railway
100394 NV."
"Published by Valentine & Sons. Ltd., Toronto and Montreal" Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1908 9 x 13.7 cm
"Old Charlie"
"Buffalo (Americn Bison Bull in West Texas"
"Photo 9368 B Copyright, 1934 by McCormick Co. 4AH-1930"
"Distributed by McCormick Co, Photographers, Amarillo, Texas"
"Genuine Curteich - Chicago "C.T..Art-Colortone" Postcard (Reg.
U.S. Pat. Off.) Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, 1934 9 x 13.7 cm
"A
lonesome survivor of the thundering buffalo herds! His forefathers
were saved
from extinction
by the wife of Texas Panhandler's pioneer rancher,
Colonel Charles Goodnight, for whom he is named."
"Buffalo
Herd Stampede,
Yellowstone National Park"
"Copyright by Haynes Picture Shops, Inc., 341 Selby Ave., St. Paul, Minn.
and Yellowstone Park, Wyoming. 16181" Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1940 9 x 13.7 cm
"In
Yellowstone Park there are approximately 1,000 buffaloes (American
Bison).
The majority of these constitute the Lamar Valley herd,
some of which are
in this picture. The 'show herd' of only a few
buffaloes is quartered at
Mammoth Hot
Springs during the summer season"
"The Buffalo Hunter"
From the painting by John Innes "Troilene
Animal Series"
"Published by The Cargill Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S.A." Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"Bison, Philadelphia Zoo, Pa." "Published by
the Zoological Society of Philadelphia" Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1940 9 x 13.7 cm
"Fifty
years ago the Bison (incorrectly called Buffalo) was nearly extinct.
Millions were slaughtered for their hides and tongues during the last
half
of the
Nineteenth Century. Thanks to the protection given
by
the American
and Canadian Governments the Bison is now plentiful again."
"National
Bison Range, Moiese, Montana"
"Pub by The Rose Hall Studio, Sandpoint, Idaho"
"41674 - B"
Original vintage color lithograph postcard, c. 1955 9 x 13.7 cm
"Here,
several hundred bison are rounded up, from their 18,500 acre range,
each Fall.
Small quarys are 'cut out' by daring buffalo-boys and
brought down at head-long speed
(to minimize their cutting back) and put
into smaller corrals, then chutes, there to be branded,
vaccinated and
the herds to be reduced to maximum range capacity."
"Buffalo
Herd
Golden Gate Park. SF, Cal."
"Piggett #548" Original vintage
photograph postcard, c. 1940 -1950 9 x 13.7 cm
"Winter
in Black Hills."
"Photo Courtesy Wind Cave National Park"
"Published by Don Grigg Enterprises, Mitchell, South Daktoa - 521994 B" Original vintage
color lithograph postcard, c. 1950 -1960 9 x 13.7 cm
"Just like in the days of
the wild west - the Buffalo still roam in the praries of So. Dak.
Both in Summer and Winter".
" 5000 Head Buffalo in
the Wainwright Park"
" Photo Copyrighted Carsell"
Original vintage photograph postcard, c. 1927 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo in the North Dakota Badlands"
"C26988 - Color Photo by North Dakota Travel Dept." Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1974 9 x 13.7 cm
"BUFFALO
in the North Dakota Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park.
The American Bison which numbered in the millions on the Northern Great
Plains
until almost annihilated by white hunters in the 19th - Century.
Now re-introduced herds of this majestic beast may often
be seen in the park."
"Batiste and Catlin Running Buffalo"
George Catlin
Plate No. 9
Original vintage chromolithograph print, 1892
8 x 11.5 cm
CLICK for a series of original Catlin
prints of Buffalo scenes
"The
Last of the Buffalo" Original vintage color
(hand colored)
lithograph stereoview, c. 1895 -1900 9 x 17.7 cm
"The Finish"
""78 - Copyright N Y 1908" Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, 1908 / 1912 9 x 13.7 cm
" Shooting Buffalo
From the Trains of the Kansas Pacific Railroad"
" Sketched by Theodore r. Davis"
"Harper's Weekly - December 14, 1867"
Original vintage wood engraving, 1867 23 x 15cm
"(This) engraving represents a sport that is peculiarly American. At
this season of the year
the herds of buffalo are moving southward, to reach the canyons which
contain the grass they exist upon during the winter. Nearly every
railroad train
which leaves or arrives at Fort Hays on the Kansas Pacific Railroad has
its race
with these herds of buffalo; and a most interesting and exciting scene
is the result.
The train is "slowed" to a rate of speed about equal to that of the
herd;
the passengers get out fire-arms which are provided for the defense
of the train against the Indians, and open from the windows and
platforms
of the cars a fire that resembles a brisk skirmish.
Frequently a young bull will turn at bay for a moment. His exhibition of
courage
s generally his death-warrant, for the whole fire of the train is turned
upon him,
either killing him or some member of the herd in his immediate vicinity.
When the
"hunt" is over the buffaloes which have been killed are secured,
and the choice parts placed in the baggage-car, which is at once crowded
by passengers,
each of whom feels convinced and is ready to assert that his was the
shot that brought
down the game. Ladies who are passengers on the trains frequently enjoy
the sport,
and invariably claim all the game as the result of their prowess with
the rifle.
This solution of the case is, of course, accepted by all gentlemen,
and a more excited party of Dianas it would be impossible to imagine." Harper's Weekly - December 14, 1867
" 867-2 World's
Largest Buffalo"
" Montana Souvenir Company, Miles City, Montana"
"Color Photo by Kosty"
Original vintage lithograph postcard, c. 1960 9 x 13.7 cm
"Replica
(1959) of the once famous Buffalo which roamed the great Dakota prairie.
Erected by the City of Jamestown, N. D. and the chamber of Commerce.
the Buffalo is three story high and a weight of 60 tons."
"European
Bison"
"Copyright Photo by F. W. Bond"
"From the Gardens of the Zoological Gardens of London, Regent's Park, N.
W." Original vintage lithograph postcard,
c. 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
Man Wearing Buffalo Robe "CYKO"
Original vintage
photograph postcard, 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
Man
Wearing Buffalo Chaps
"Ellis Photo 530 K St. Sac'to, Calif"
Original vintage photograph postcard, 1907 9 x 13.7 cm
"
'Buffalo Bill' William Cody"
"Whose Home was in North Platte, Nebraska"
"Barkalow Bros. Publishers, Omaha - Neb"
"Art Tone 'Glow-Var' Finished. Made only by Beals, Des
Moines, Iowa" Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1910 - 20 9 x 13.7 cm
"The name
of Buffalo Bill, famous plainsman, Indian fighter and Government Scout,
is inseparably linked with Overland Route History."
"994
Buffalo Bill (Col. Wm. F. Cody) Famous Plainsman and Scout"
"6A23"
"Sanborn Souvenir Co., Denver, Colo." Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1940 9 x 13.7 cm
"Buffalo
Bill (Col. Wm. F. Cody) typifies a glorious and romantic period in
American history.
His life and exploits captured the imagination
and enthusiasm of the whole world
and dramatized more than any other man
the early day adventures in conquering the West."
William “Buffalo Bill” Cody
1846 – 1917
Buffalo Bill Cody got his name after he killed 4,280 buffaloes in an 18
month period.
Originally known as an Indian fighter/killer (he killed
his first Indian at age eleven)
Cody received the Medal of Honor from
the U.S. government and eventually was named
“the most recognized
celebrity on earth” with his “Wild West Show.”
The contemporary view of
Buffalo Bill is that of a conservationist
(he later advocated a hunting season for buffalo) and Indian rights
activist
(he hired lots of Indians for his Wild West Show.)
"Under the Saddle"
"Copyrighted by J. A. Elliot, Butte, Mont., Jan. 1910"
"Published by Cohn Bros. Importers and Jobbers, Butte, Mont.
Montana View Series. A7177" Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, 1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"UNDER
THE SADDLE. This is the only Buffalo ever saddled,
showing
the dare-devil nature of the Northwestern Cowboy, who chances his life
for the amusement of the spectators."
"Mr. Ernest Harold
Haynes Driving the Only Team of Buffaloes in the World"
"Copyright, 1906, by Ernest Harold Haynes, Meriden, N. H." Original vintage
lithograph postcard, 1906-07 9 x 13.7 cm
"Lassoing
Buffalo Calf"
"Copyrighted 1910 by Amer. Tob. Co."
"Indian Life in the ''60's' '
Original vintage photochrome trade card, 1910 6.3 x 8.3
cm
"HASSAN Cork Tip Cigarettes.
The Oriental Smoke.
The Largest Selling Brand of Cigarettes in America."
"Lassoing Buffalo Calf
All animals display great courage in defence of their young, and the
mother buffalo
was particularly dangerous if she thought her calf was attacked.
The Indians would often-times
try to capture the calf by lassoing it. The illustration shows a
mounted buck who has succeeded
in lassoing the calf and is attacked by the enraged mother buffalo."
"Buffalo Charging Hunter"
"Copyrighted 1910 by Amer. Tob. Co."
"Indian Life in the ''60's' '
Original vintage photochrome trade card, 1910 6.3 x 8.3 cm
"HASSAN Cork Tip Cigarettes.
The Oriental Smoke.
The Largest Selling Brand of Cigarettes in America."
"Buffalo Charging Hunter
Hunting the buffalo with bow and arrow was dangerous work, and the
Indians
depended largely upon the speed and activity of their trained ponies to
keep out of danger.
They were compelled to go close to their game in order to kill with the
bow and arrow and had very little chance
of success unless well mounted."
"Buffalo Wallow - Indian Hiding"
"Copyrighted 1910 by Amer. Tob. Co."
"Indian Life in the ''60's' '
Original vintage photochrome trade card, 1910 6.3 x 8.3 cm
"HASSAN Cork Tip Cigarettes.
The Oriental Smoke.
The Largest Selling Brand of Cigarettes in America."
"Buffalo Wallow
Indian hiding from enemies
behind a dead buffalo in a wallow. It was a common sight
to see the carcass of a buffalo on the plains, and it has often been
used
as a shield from enemies both by Indians and white men.
These wallows were formed by the buffalo lying down and rolling
and swinging around, until a hollow was formed about a foot deep,
which would collect rain water, which has been used by men for drinking
water
when there was not a stream within many miles. They have saved
many lives."
"Buffalo Hunters' Camp"
"Through Texas"
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 59 No. 353, October 1879
Original vintage wood engraving, 1879
12 x 8.7 cm
"H-3960 Forty Thousand Buffalo Hides Ready for Shipment.
Dodge City, Kansas, 1878"
"Fred Harvey"
Original vintage collotype postcard, c.1910 9 x 13.7 cm
"In the early days.Dodge City was the great freighting station of the
Southwest, furnishing supplies
to the military posts and Indian agencies of the Indian Territory, and
to ranchmen and hunters.
In the heart of the buffalo country, trade in hides and meat reached a
large volume"
"American Bison"
Hills Practical Reference Library
Original vintage wood engraving, 1903
5 x 7 cm
"The Buffalo Dance of the Prairie Indians"
The World, its Cities and Peoples
Original vintage wood engraving, 1892
19 x 26.2 cm
" Buffalo Dance"
Original vintage silkscreen on wood laminate postcard , c. 1930 9 x 13.7 cm
"
Buffalo Dancer of the Pueblo Indians"
"Thousands of years ago the Bison (Buffalo) roamed west to the Pacific.
Ancient Basketmakers
hunted them in Arizona and New Mexico.
Cliff Dwellers succeeded the Basketmakers and their
descendants became the Pueblo Indians of today. But during recent
centuries Buffalo herds
came little farther west than the Rockies. Plains Indians performed
many ceremonial dances to
this animal, their staff of life. Pueblo Indians usually hunted
only Deer, Elk, Antelope, and
Mountain Sheep. Some made sporadic and dangerous journeys into
Plains Indian country
for Buffalo. It is thought that they brought back, along with
Buffalo meat and hides,
a Plains ceremony. However the Buffalo Dance is now common to all
pueblos,
with slight variations in the colorful performance."
"Buffalo
Medicine Man Arrayed for his Incantations and Ceremonies"
"5A65 Sanborn Souvenir Co., Denver, Colo." Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1935 9 x 13.7 cm
"This
Medicine Man with his Buffalo trappings is believed to possess
and to be
able to confer the strength and virtues of the Buffalo upon his
followers.
The hoop is the instrument
with which he confers his charms."
" Buffalo
Dancers, Santa Clara Pueblo "
"Curteichcolor ® 3-D Natural Color Reproduction"
"Distributed by Southwest Postcard Company, Albuquerque, N. M." Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1930 9 x 13.7 cm
"K 458 - Deer and Buffalo
Dancers Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico
The Indian dances are many and the costumes worn are in keeping with the
ceremony.
The Dance of the Chase represents the Indian in costume with the Buffalo
Head and Bow and Arrow,
others with antlers, carrying a stick in each hand to appear
four-footed,
adorned with Fox Skins and Eagle Fathers."
"93 Buffalo
Dance, Pueblo Indian Ceremony"
"C. T. American Art Colored"
"Harry Herz, 1655 Ebers St., San Diego, Calif." Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1935 9 x 13.7 cm
"The Pueblo Indians, though
converted to Christianity three centuries ago,
have not in the least given up their pagan Gods and rites,
but have placed the white man's God in their ancient pantheon.
The Buffalo dance, a celebration in honor of the God of the Chase
and a sort of prayer for successful hunting during the winter, is held
on the feast day
of the patron saint of Tesuque Pueblo, St. James (San Diego), November
12th."
"K-386
- Buffalo and Deer Dance on the Indian Reservation"
"Natural Color Reproduction - Curteich Color ® Art - Creation Reg.
U. S. Pat. Off."
"Distributed by Southwest Postcard Co., Box 685, Albuquerque, N. M." Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, c. 1957 9 x 13.7 cm
"The Indian Dances are many and the costumes worn are in keeping with
the ceremony.
The Dance of the Chase represents the Indian in costume with
Buffalo Head and Bow and Arrow, other with Antlers carrying a stick in
each hand
to appear four footed, adorned with Fox Skins and Eagle Feathers."
"The
Buffalo Dance of the Pueblo Indians"
"Curteich Chicago. C. T. - Art - Colortone Postcard " Original vintage color
lithograph postcard, 1937 9 x 13.7 cm
"This
dance is very colorful and interesting and done according to
ancient
Indian lore by all tribes of Pueblo Indians - the Hopi, San Juan,
Santa
Clara, Taos and all tribes of the Rio Grande.
Genuine Buffalo
heads and skins
form part of the costume."
The Demise
and Recovery
of the Buffalo/Bison in North America
Vintage images / artifacts from the 19th and 20th century
In 1871 there were more Bison /
Buffalo than people in North America.
Historical accounts vary as to precise dates and numbers,
but it is
quite accurate
to say that the American Bison or Buffalo
was almost
entirely gone from North America
by 1900.
The proud, stalwart and
beautiful beast that was sacred to the
New World's Native Peoples for
thousands of years, and roamed in herds of
tens of thousands (an
estimated 60 million once occupied the Great Plains),
was virtually
decimated by the direct actions of the US government within just a few years
when it
learned /decided that the "Indian" could be "discouraged" (official term)
by eliminating its sacred animal. In 1867 the famed General Sheridan
had declared
"Kill the buffalo, and you kill the Indians." This
became official policy.
Few efforts were
initiated to stop the slaughter of this noble creature prior to the
turn of the century. In an odd twist of
fate, a New York zookeeper named
William T. Hornaday
had a sense of what
was happening and acquired
several of the remaining beasts
for his zoo,
probably unaware of the ultimate
significance of this action.
An
Oklahoma Comanche Chief, Quanah Parker,
led a campaign to encourage
Hornaday to ship some of his animals
to the newly-formed Wichita
Mountains
Wildlife Preserve in Oklahoma.
In October of 1907 a
train arrived in Cache,
near Lawton, south of the Refuge.
Aboard
were 15 buffalo from the Bronx Zoo,
one of which was a hefty two year
old male,
soon to be named General Lawton
after a Civil War figure of
local fame,
General Lawton (see photos above) became the alpha male of the
Wichita herd.
The herd
flourished
and over the next years animals were
transplanted back into
their native habitats,
albeit mostly to protective reserves. Similar projects joined this effort
and eventually the Buffalo/Bison population began to
rebound in the West.
Even though population is no longer threatened today,
the Bison's role in America's heritage exists primarily in memory and ritual
.
The above images/objects, including two rare vintage
original photographs
of General Lawton,
are records of the
"demise and recovery" of the Bison/Buffalo
in Western North America. In the 19th and early 20th century, books and
magazine articles
about the status of the Bison/Buffalo were illustrated with wood and
steel engravings.
Stereoviews, real photograph or color postcards, trade cards, etc. were
popular media circulating amidst the public. Photographs were rare, but
available.
The Buffalo Nickel (1913-1938), as well as several U.S. Postal stamps, served to
connect the Native
American with the Bison/Buffalo,
and were day-to-day reminders
of a lost heritage.
Cumulatively they recount the story of the campaign to reverse the
history
of the Bison/Buffalo's near complete demise.
Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show
as well as local rodeo acts served
as mixed signals to the American public.
Neither the Bison/Buffalo nor the Indian regained its rightful role in the American
landscape/heritage,
but perhaps the Bison/Buffalo fared better than the Native American.
Native Americans
retain their memories and spirit of the Bison/Buffalo
primarily through ritual
.THE EXTERMINATION OF THE AMERICAN BISON
The classic 1889 study
entitled The Extermination of the American Bison by
William T. Hornaday is available in its entirety, free with no
restrictions,
from The Gutenberg Project.
Click title to read online or download.
THE BUFFALO RANGE
In
January 1869 Theodore R. Davis published "The Buffalo Range"
in Harpers New
Monthly Magazine. The original pages from 1869 are in the
archives of Imagi Gallery. This seventeen page article with illustrations
by the author can be viewed/read in its entirety by clicking the title.
GALLOPING BUFFALO Sixteen frames of famed photographer Eadweard Muybridge's 1887 running
buffalo images
were sequenced together to create this animation.
Muybridge is
known for creating
such sequences of still images,
originally done as
locomotion studies, that
eventually became motion
picture films.
BUFFALO DANCE Buffalo Dance is an 1894 American 16-second black and white silent film
shot in
Thomas Edison's
Black Maria studio. It was produced by William K. L. Dickson
with
William Heise as cinematographer, and features three Sioux warriors
named Hair Coat,
Parts His Hair and Last Horse
dancing in a circle
while two other Native Americans accompany them with
drums.
This is a project in
process. It has not yet assumed a significant shape.
It has begun and yet continues as a collection of artifacts,
many of which are shown on this web page.
Hopefully it will evolve into something of substance.
All of the above
artifacts, with the exception of the 1901 U.S. $10 Note,
are in the collection of Imagi Gallery. The 1887 Muybridge Animated
Sequence
and the Edison Buffalo Dance film are in the Imagi Collection but
are in Public Domain.
For information
please
contact (click here to email) Imagi
Gallery.
.
