Last To Fall

"Bull"

A Work by Clancy Gray

Spent quite a bit of time admiring this other work from Mr. Gray. It was my favorite small piece from the indoor exhibit. The only information I could find about the piece was it's name and artists name. The sculpture I felt needed a story so I took the liberty to create my own. Factual, based on real accounts I have read over the years, I will keep it short, if possible!

Last To Fall
A true tale of the fall and rebirth of the Buffalo!

Usually when a Buffalo is felled by a hunter the other Bison would gather around pawing the earth and smelling the blood. Not so on this day in October in 1890!

     A small herd had been seen wandering around for a few years back in "No Man's Land" in the panhandle county of Cimarron, Oklahoma. On this fateful day in 1890 all that remained was one lonely old Bull. He was the last Wild Buffalo in what is now the State of Oklahoma to be killed. If I had been there I would have tasted his blood and offered up prayers for his Spirit!

 In Memory of The Last To Fall

October 1890

I have seen estimates from fifty million to one hundred million of buffalo occupying The Great Plains. The herd that grazed thru western Oklahoma has been estimated to be between four and twelve million alone. One writer of a journal observed a herd  of at least twenty-five miles wide and took over five hours to pass. In other parts of the Plains it was wrote that travelers might be held up two days waiting for a herd to pass. The Plains Indians depended on two things to survive on, the horse and the buffalo. As settlers began to come into the Plains and the Indians were being forced onto the Reservations the Government welcomed the extermination of the bison to gain control of the Indian. Once the food supply, clothing, shelter, culture and order, which was obtained from the buffalo was gone, control could be had. The farmer did not want the buffalo destroying the crops, the rancher claimed they ate all his grassland. The Army wanted the buffalo gone because the Indian depended on the animal for survival. The Buffalo was doomed and almost exterminated! Then by the grace of Vision along came some men who had the foresight to make sure some would survive!

     Charles Goodnight a noted rancher who claimed the Palo Duro Canyon region of  West Texas, along with a few other farsighted ranchers began capturing and raising a few that were left in the 1890's. The New York Zoological Park also began a program where genetics and carefully watched breeding was monitored as the herds numbers stated to rise. In 1902 Congress took action to protect the new herds as some of the buffalo were being released on federal lands. This was kind of ironic to me because just a few short years before they supported decimation of the bison so as to control the Indians! One thing I am proud of though, in 1907 eight cows and seven bulls were sent to the Wichita Game Preserve, now the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, by the New York Zoological Society to be a nucleus of a National Herd. When they arrived by rail at Cache,Ok., the Indians met the train and accompanied the buffalo the thirteen miles to the Refuge. The children were brought close and told stories by the elders. It was wrote the tribal members whooped and hollered with delight the whole thirteen miles at having their old friends return to the praires!

     No longer endangered the Bison's number are many and still growing. As sure as man can destroy, thankfully nature will let us overcome and make a positive re-birth of the once almost lost Buffalo!

     Thanks for letting me share this story. If you only looked at the pics I cannot blame you!lol If you want to see a little more my cousin, Cap'n Jack has a Buffalo Ranch in Mountain View, Ok. and has a neat website with pics and stories of the Buffalo, plus he's a comedian to boot!  www.okbuffalotours.com

Red Earth

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