Uncle Sid M. Ross told me he was going back to East Texas to move a
family back here and took along some of the buffalo meat to eat along the
way and to take to the folks in East Texas who were not used to it.
(Mr. Henry Moore came from East Texas and had a ranch on the Leon
River, then came to Hamilton to live. Was an old bachelor and a very good
friend. Built a lot of rent houses, and during the depression if they
couldn’t pay the rent just let it go. Once he came into my father’s
office and said, "Let’s go to Europe." Probably would have
offered to pay their way. Was a great reader. Told me once when a small
boy in East Texas wild hogs would have eaten him up but for a big bulldog
that rescued him.)
Uncle Sid M. Ross said he was very fond of buffalo meat. That he used
to go to the west with somebody-- ....Bumgartner, I think and that the
buffalo hunters would give them all they wanted. They would have to skin
and dress fast on account of the flies. They would put the meat down in
strips, with salt in pine boxes and bring it on back. Some of it was
jerked or smoked. Or they would lay it down in strips in cans and seal
with lard and it would keep all right.
While he was telling this Uncle Joe Curtis was sitting on the curb and
told about his picking out a fat buffalo cow in the herd, riding along and
killing her with a six shooter, and then going and getting a wagon and
taking it to the ranch camp. This was in the west part of the state in the
70's [1870's] I forget the county. He said the buffalo could not see to
the side on account of the log hair. Sid had seen one wild herd at a
distance, and though perhaps they were the only two living here who had
seen live buffalo herds on the range.
[The Old
Fort Phantom Hill Road ran straight as an arrow several miles south of
town [It ran through my grandmother’s farm at Blue
Ridge. Unfortunately I did not realize the significance of the ruts
whenever Daddy would point them out.--Elreeta Weathers] In the old days
they used to haul buffalo hides on this old road, I have been told.]
