The Legend Of The White Buffalo
One summer a long time ago
The seven sacred council fires of the Lakota Sioux came together and camped
The sun was strong and the people were starving for there was no game
Two young men went out to hunt
Along the way the two men met a beautiful young woman
She Was dressed in white and floated as she walked
One man had bad desires for the woman and tried to touch her
He was consumed by a cloud and turned into a pile of bones
The woman spoke to the second young man and said
"Return to your people and tell them that I am coming"
This holy woman brought a wrapped bundle to the people
She unwrapped the bundle
She gave to the people a sacred pipe and taught them how to use it to pray
"With this holy pipe you will walk like a living prayer" she said
The Holy Woman Told The Sioux About The Value Of The Buffalo
The Women
And The Children
"You are from Mother Earth"
She told the women
"What you are doing is as great as the warriors do"
Before she left
She told the people she would return
As she walked away
She rolled over four times
She turned into a white female buffalo calf
It is said after that day the Lakota honored their pipe and buffalo were plentiful
Many Believe That The Buffalo Calf
Miracle
Born August 20--1994
Symbolizes The Coming Together Of Humanity
Into Oneness
Of Heart
Mind
And Spirit
The Story Of The White Buffalo
It Was In Search Of The Buffalo That J. Wright Mooar
His Brother John
And Their Party Of Hunters
First Camped On The Banks Of Deep Creek In The Year 1876
Those Hunters Were Hardy Men
Aged Beyond Their Youthful Years
By Blizzards
Sandstorms
Stampedes
And Sneak Attacks
They take their place in the history of the nation and Scurry County
They came after the Indian, the missionary, the explorer and the trader
They cleared the way for the cowman and settler
No One Knows
How Many Buffalo Roamed Over North America Before The White Man Came
The best estimates range from 60 to 75 million head
As late as 1830, after the hunters began their kills, there were 40 million
By 1883 less than one thousand head of buffalo were left in the United States
The buffaloes were the Indian's most important commodity
They ate its meat fresh and dried
They used its hide for clothing
Blankets
Robes
And For Making Teepees
They used the bones as tools
The sinew as thread
And the stomach as a water container
When the buffalo were gone
The Indian had little choice but to retreat to the reservations
J. Wright Mooar claimed to have shot 22,000 head himself
Buffalo hunting was a business and an adventure
He believed that the slaughter was necessary for the civilization of the West
When in his early twenties
Mooar saved enough money chopping wood to outfit three wagons
He assembled his own hunting and skinning crew
At first only the meat was sold
After J. Wright sent some hides to his older brother, John W., in New York
John found a market for the hides
This became a lucrative business
By 1872 John had joined his brother in Dodge City, Kansas
J.Wright continued to do the hunting
John transacted the marketing of the hides and meat
But it was October 7--1876 that became a day to remember
It was about ten o'clock in the morning
Mooar's outfit had pitched camp in the banks of Deep Creek
This was approximately ten miles northwest of the present Snyder townsite
Mooar rode off to scout the country
It was almost sunset as he headed back for camp that he saw it!
Against the horizon was a gleaming white creature
It was grazing contentedly in the midst of a small herd of buffaloes
Having killed one in Kansas Wright immediately knew it to be a rare Albino
It was the first one he had ever seen in Texas
Mooar hurried to camp where his men were about to eat supper
He needed some help
Time was short and night was coming on
He couldn't wait until morning
The beast might be gone
It was customary to make the kills before midday
In order that the skinners would have time to do their work before nightfall
Mooar called to Dan Down to get out his skinning knives and come with him!
The two men slipped down the bank of the creek
They moved cautiously toward the herd
When they got within shooting range
Wright and Dan crawled out of the creek bed and crouched in the grass
Wright rested his left elbow on the ground
He used his hand as a prop for the heavy rifle
He took aim and fired
The white animal fell
Wright had his trophy!!
But the firing stampeded the herd
They thundered toward Dan and Wright
Quickly Wright shot three more buffaloes
The herd turned away just in time to miss the two men
Because of J. Wright
Scurry County lays claim to the killing of the White Buffalo
It was one among only seven in the United States
The hide Mooar took that day was tanned and kept
Mooar showed it to visitors as long as he lived
Today his granddaughter Julia May McDonnell Hays has the hide
She displays the hide in a glass case at her ranch
It is not far from the site of the shooting
The entire adventure lasted only a few minutes
The memory of it remained with Dan and Wright the rest of their lives
It reaches out to all today
That stop and see the replica of the White Buffalo on the Snyder Square
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RASKY'S VIETNAM MEMORIAL
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