The Last Great Buffalo Hunts

The Last Great Buffalo Hunts. , In 1882 and 1883, the American buffalo made their last stand here in the valley of Hiddenwood and within a 30-mile range of this area. Hiddenwood Cliff, directly opposite across Hiddenwood Creek, was an ancient landmark for buffalo hunting tribes who often camped in this buttes and badlands. The valley was filled with their stone tepee rings. , The last 50,000 free ranging buffalo had migrated into this area, which was then part of the Great Sioux Reservation (shown above in yellow and blue) from territories farther west. Within 15 months they were gone. Although most of the estimated 60 to 75 million buffalo were likely killed by white hide hunters, these last buffalo were hunted by Native Americans in traditional ways on reservation lands. , The last great buffalo hunt began about June 20, 1882, when 2,000 Teton Lakota men, women, and children traveled 100 miles from Ft. Yates to this valley on foot and horseback, and saw the hills black with thousands of grazing buffalo. On the first day 2,000 buffalo were killed, pursued by mounted hunters with rifles. The hunters painted their faces, bodies, and horses in traditional ways for a successful hunt. Very few hunted with bow-and-arrow. After the first day, the buffalo remained where they had fallen and the hunters returned to camp long after dark, too tired to even celebrate or tell stories. On the second day the entire tribe worked quickly to butcher and care for the meat. Humps and other tender morsels were removed for immediate feasting, and women sliced the remaining meat into thin sheets to dry and make into pemmican and jerky. On the third day, the hunters killed an additional 3,000 buffalo. In three days, the tribal hunters killed 5,000 buffalo on this "last great hunt."