Buffalo National Park
1909 - 1939
-
By the late 1870s the Plains Bison had reached dangerously low numbers after the decimation of the previous one hundred years. In 1873 Walking Coyote, a Pend d’Oreille Indian, captured four buffalo calves. He took these calves to St. Ignatius Mission on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. By 1884, they numbered thirteen and were sold to two ranchers, Michel Pablo and Charles Allard. These buffalo, along with additional animals from the C. J. “Buffalo” Jones herd, some with origins in Manitoba, formed the bulk of the core of what was later to become the famous Wainwright herd.
Photo credits: Marsha Scribner
In 1906, negotiations were undertaken between Michel Pablo and the Canadian Government for the purchase of his half of the herd, then numbering over 300 head. After several months, the Canadian Government’s offer was accepted, and the Deed of Sale signed in February 1907. The persistent work of Land Agents Alex Ayotte and Benjamin Davies, and the Superintendent of Rocky Mountain Parks, Howard Douglas, finally convinced the Canadian government to acquire this last free-ranging herd of pure-bred Plains Bison for Canada. The first shipment of buffalo were transported from Montana to Elk Island National Park in 1908 but were only to be temporary occupants as Michel Pablo thought the terrain and vegetation at Elk Island were unsuitable for his buffalo. A new location south of Wainwright was chosen and by June 1909 the fencing was finished and the buffalo were relocated to this new reserve. All subsequent shipments of the Montana herd were transported directly to Wainwright.
The Wainwright herd prospered and reached its highest levels in 1925-26 when 8832 buffalo roamed the park. This over-population accentuated other problems including overgrazing and disease. Buffalo were slaughtered and shipped out of the park to try and alleviate the crisis, but in the end these problems, as well as a poor economic situation, would lead to the park’s closure in 1939.
The Wainwright buffalo herd played a major role in preserving the Plains Bison. In addition the park held an experimental cross-breeding station, and was the location for all or part of four Hollywood movies.
Wainwright Museum photo
- Related to this topic…
Buffalo National Park Stories
Wainwright Buffalo National Park Interpretive Centre Foundation - Related to this topic…
Buffalo Alberta
Buffalo National Park Interpretive Centre and Bodo Archaeological Dig
