Post by jameshunt on Dec 2, 2010 12:07:03 GMT -5
From Life in the Saddle Oklahoma University Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1963 (1997) by Frank Collison
p. 46. Jim White was a buffalo hunter in the spring of 1875 who had a large outfit including twenty-five yoke of oxen, six mules and both heavy and light wagons. Frank Collinson camped with him on Creek where they lived in Teepees. They were followed to their camp by wagons loaded with food, They had four 25-pound cans of DuPont Powder, four hundred pounds of lead and plenty of patch paper. Lead was a staple in the supply stores as were powder, patch paper and primers. It was sold in pigs which weighed fifty to 100 pounds apiece or it could be purchased in sacks of twenty-five pounds each. It was not uncommon to buy 100 sheets of patch paper, four or five 25-pound kegs of Dupont black powder and 500 pounds of lead at one time. There were still lots of buffalo on the plains and they saw them regularly. He hunted with White until the spring of 1878, when the buffalo were all gone. White once killed 4 buffalo with 47 shots. Collinson at one time killed 121 in one stand, but it took him 300 shots to do it. They killed their last buffalo where Motley County now is.
There is a lot of info in this paragraph, but I wanted to point out the inference that they used "teepees". Does this mean we can haul out those poles and the old teepee from the buckskinner days when we thought mountain men had to live in a teepee? I don't think so.
We will probably never find period clarification of this statement, but being the only reference for this I ever found I suspect that what he is referring to is the use of canvas over a pole, or something similar to what is now referred to as a "cowboy teepee". This comment is being made by a hunter who was there, but making a statement in his elderly years. I don't know when the expression cowboy teepee came along but he could be appropriating it. I have seen images of cowboy teepee's from the 1880's so it is not a stretch to think that they might have existed and used by hunters in the 70's.
There is a lot of other information, Jim White was a "boss" hunter, in his 50's at the time he may well have been the oldest hunter on the plains. He probably killed more buffalo than any other hunter and hunted both the southern and northern herds. He was murdered in a cabin in Montana while hunting with Oliver Hana, well Hana was away. He is buried in Trailtown, Cody WY.
Note his massive outfit. The 25 yolk Oxen !!!!! to pull heavy wagons, horses for light wagons. Note the use of 25# cans of DuPont bp (period cans still be found at guns shows, grab one if you can, great to have laying about in camp - going price about $20 per can).
Note the purchase of Lead in "pigs" of 50 - 100 pounds, or purchased in "sacks" of 25# - perhaps the later were thin bars of lead so commonly sold.
Note the use of paper patching material. Note a lack of any reference to lube for the cartridges - I always wondered if they mixed anything with buffalo tallow to harden it.
I think the reference to White killing 4 buffalo for 47 shots is a typo, it commonly took more than one shot, but White was a master marksman. Hana said he saw White consistently kill 9 mule deer without missing at 500 yards with a big 50 after but 2 sighting shots.
An interesting reference.
p. 46. Jim White was a buffalo hunter in the spring of 1875 who had a large outfit including twenty-five yoke of oxen, six mules and both heavy and light wagons. Frank Collinson camped with him on Creek where they lived in Teepees. They were followed to their camp by wagons loaded with food, They had four 25-pound cans of DuPont Powder, four hundred pounds of lead and plenty of patch paper. Lead was a staple in the supply stores as were powder, patch paper and primers. It was sold in pigs which weighed fifty to 100 pounds apiece or it could be purchased in sacks of twenty-five pounds each. It was not uncommon to buy 100 sheets of patch paper, four or five 25-pound kegs of Dupont black powder and 500 pounds of lead at one time. There were still lots of buffalo on the plains and they saw them regularly. He hunted with White until the spring of 1878, when the buffalo were all gone. White once killed 4 buffalo with 47 shots. Collinson at one time killed 121 in one stand, but it took him 300 shots to do it. They killed their last buffalo where Motley County now is.
There is a lot of info in this paragraph, but I wanted to point out the inference that they used "teepees". Does this mean we can haul out those poles and the old teepee from the buckskinner days when we thought mountain men had to live in a teepee? I don't think so.
We will probably never find period clarification of this statement, but being the only reference for this I ever found I suspect that what he is referring to is the use of canvas over a pole, or something similar to what is now referred to as a "cowboy teepee". This comment is being made by a hunter who was there, but making a statement in his elderly years. I don't know when the expression cowboy teepee came along but he could be appropriating it. I have seen images of cowboy teepee's from the 1880's so it is not a stretch to think that they might have existed and used by hunters in the 70's.
There is a lot of other information, Jim White was a "boss" hunter, in his 50's at the time he may well have been the oldest hunter on the plains. He probably killed more buffalo than any other hunter and hunted both the southern and northern herds. He was murdered in a cabin in Montana while hunting with Oliver Hana, well Hana was away. He is buried in Trailtown, Cody WY.
Note his massive outfit. The 25 yolk Oxen !!!!! to pull heavy wagons, horses for light wagons. Note the use of 25# cans of DuPont bp (period cans still be found at guns shows, grab one if you can, great to have laying about in camp - going price about $20 per can).
Note the purchase of Lead in "pigs" of 50 - 100 pounds, or purchased in "sacks" of 25# - perhaps the later were thin bars of lead so commonly sold.
Note the use of paper patching material. Note a lack of any reference to lube for the cartridges - I always wondered if they mixed anything with buffalo tallow to harden it.
I think the reference to White killing 4 buffalo for 47 shots is a typo, it commonly took more than one shot, but White was a master marksman. Hana said he saw White consistently kill 9 mule deer without missing at 500 yards with a big 50 after but 2 sighting shots.
An interesting reference.
