This week marks the 150th anniversary of a buffalo hunt that some credit for being the inspiration of famous paintings created by Alfred Bierstadt, a western landscape artist. But an event which happened in Nuckolls County in 1863 is claimed by local historians as the source of the inspiration.
A story recorded in Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences and written by Claredon E. Adams, said the following narrative was told to him by E. S. Comstock, an earlier settler in the Oak area.
“In 1863, Mr. Albert Bierstadt, a German Landscape painter, joined a surveying expedition via the Overland stage route, which was then conducted by Russell, Majors and Waddell. Arriving at Oak Grove ranch, Mr. Bierstadt and Mr. Dunlap, correspondent of the New York Post, decided to stop a few days and have a buffalo hunt. In company with E. S. Comstock, his son George, and a neighbor by the name of Eubanks, who was killed by the Indians the next year, they proceeded to the Republican Valley and camped the first night in the grove on Lost Creek, now known as Lincoln Park in Superior.
The following morning the party proceeded up the river to the farm later owned by Frank Schmeling, several miles northwest of Superior. Here they discovered a large herd of buffalo grazing along the creek to the west of covering the prairies to the north several miles. Mr. Comstock said it was one of the largest herds of buffalo he had ever encountered. Mr. Bierstadt became greatly excited and said, “Now boys, here is our time for fun. I want to see an enraged wounded buffalo. I want to see him so mad that he will bellow and tear up the ground.”
Mr. Comstock said they arranged for the affray; Mr. Bierstadt was to take his position on a small knoll to the east of the herd, fix himself with the easel so that he could sketch the landscape and the grazing bison. When this was done, the wounding of one of the buffalo bulls was to take place.
Bierstadt was stationed on a small knoll in plain view of the herd; Mr. Eubanks was stationed in a draw near Bierstadt, in order to protect him from the charges of the buffalo, if necessary. George Comstock was to select a buffalo bull from the herd. He would tantaize him by shaking a red blanket at him, then give him another wound from his rifle and lead the buffalo in the direction of Bierstadt.
“The wounded buffalo became furious and charged Comstock’s horse repeatedly, but Comstock being an expert horseman, evaded the fierce charges and was all the time coming nearer to Bierstadt. When within about 300 yards, Comstock whirled his horse to the side of the maddened monster. Now a buffalo does not see well out of the side of his eyes because of the long shaggy hair about his face, and Comstock was lost to his view. The infuriated animal tossed his head high in the air, and the only thing he saw was Bierstadt. Onward he rushed after the fleeting artist, who was making the best time of his life. Comstock said he was running so fast that his coattails stuck straight out behind him. The buffalo was gaining at every jump.
“At this point in his story, Mr. Comstock became greatly excited. He was standing on the identical spot telling me the story, and was living the exciting scene over again. ‘Why, I thought Eubanks never would shoot. I was so scared!’ The buffalo was snorting froth, and has his horns under Bierstadt’s coattail. Finally the gun cracked and the buffalo fell, but Bierstadt was so overcome he fell at the same time completely exhausted, but saved from a fearful death! When he recovered sufficiently to talk he said, “That’s enough. No more wounded buffalo for me!”
Mr. Bierstadt was several days recovering from his fearful experience, but while he was recovering, he was painting the picture of the infuriated charging buffalo and the chase.”
This was the painting, entitled El Captain Rancho, that brought Bierstadt into prominence as an artist. It was exhibited at the first Chicago exhibition and was sold for $75,000. A portion of this original painting is embraced in Mr. Bierstadt’s masterpiece, The Last of the Buffalo. Cuts of this painting have been used in geographies to picture the American bison for the benefit of the nature aspirant of the presidency, Theodore Roosevelt.
Others believe the inspiration came from a hunting trip which took Bierstadt to the McCook area in 1872.
A story written by Bill Moore about the latter trip was published this week in the Omaha World-Herald.
According to More, around 10 a.m. on Jan. 12, 1872, a special train from Kansas City arrived in Omaha having crossed the newly completed Union Pacific bridge over the Missouri River.
Aboard the train was a six-member delegation of Russian dignitaries led by the fourth son of Alexander II, the Tsar of Russia, Grand Duke Alexis. The grand duke was only two days away from his 22nd birthday.
He and his entourage had arrived in New York harbor in late November of 1871 to begin a three-month tour of the Americas. They were to stop just five hours in Omaha.
His train was met by Gen. Philip Sheridan, commander of the army’s Department of Missouri. The region west of Missouri was largely federal territory and occupied by a number of Indian tribes. Sheridan’s boss, General of the Army William T. Sherman, had charged him to organize a buffalo hunt. The location would be some 60 miles south of Fort McPherson.
It is thought the idea for the buffalo hunt may have originated with Bierstadt. The western landscape artist had apparently heard of Alexis’ desire to hunt buffalo on the Great Plains.
Waiting for the grand duke in North Platte were two nationally known men. A dashing Civil War hero and the youngest general in the Union Cavalry, George Armstrong Custer, and famed buffalo hunter, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody.
The three-day hunt proved successful.
Buffalo Bill kept a diary of the event. When they encountered a buffalo herd, Cody wrote, “Alexis at first preferred to use his pistol instead of a gun. He fired six shots from this weapon at buffaloes only 20 feet away from him. But as he shot wildly, not one of his bullets took effect. I exchanged pistols with him. He again fired six shots, without dropping a buffalo.
“Seeing that the animals were bound to make their escape without his killing one of them, unless he had a better weapon, I rode up to him, gave him my old reliable and told him to urge his horse close to the buffaloes and I would then give him the word when to shoot. At the same time I gave old Buckskin Joe (the Duke’s horse) a blow with my whip. And with a few jumps the horse carried the Grand Duke within about 10 feet of a big buffalo bull.
“Now is your time, said I. He fired and down went the buffalo.”
This hunt is thought to have taken place near Medicine Creek, a Republican River tributary in the McCook area.
Several of Bierstadt’s paintings are part of the Joslyn Museum collection in Omaha.
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