Audubon’s 1843 warning about buffalo came true – and it’s happening again

Audubon’s Final Journey to Fort Union’s Vanishing Herds

In April 1843, John James Audubon took his last big trip at age 58. The famed bird artist left St. Louis on a steamboat with four helpers and 100 trappers. After 50 days and 1,400 miles, they reached Fort Union at the North Dakota-Montana border.

Audubon saw huge herds of elk, pronghorn, and wolves. Yet what struck him most was waste.

When hunters killed four buffalo but took just one tongue, he was shocked. Soon after, he saw barges loaded with 10,000 buffalo robes.

Audubon warned that buffalo would vanish like the Great Auk. Today, Audubon National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota tells this story of abundance lost.

The 58-Year-Old Bird Artist Set Off on His Final Adventure

John James Audubon left St. Louis on April 25, 1843, on the American Fur Company steamboat Omega.

At 58, the famous bird artist now wanted to draw mammals for his new book “The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. ” Four helpers joined him: Edward Harris, Isaac Sprague, John Bell, and Lewis Squires.

The boat also carried over 100 fur trappers heading to trading posts along the Missouri River. Despite his age, Audubon felt ready to tackle the wild frontier one last time.

Fifty Days and 1,400 Miles Through America’s Untamed West

The group pushed up the Missouri River through lands few white Americans had seen. Their trip covered 1,400 miles and took 50 days of steady travel.

Audubon kept daily journals about the wildlife they spotted along the riverbanks. The team often stopped to hunt and collect samples.

They traveled through today’s Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The scenery changed as they moved north, from woods to wide open prairies full of wildlife.

Massive Animal Herds Roamed the Plains in Astonishing Numbers

Audubon’s group saw huge herds of animals that seemed to go on forever across the plains. Elk gathered by the hundreds, pronghorn antelope jumped across grasslands, and bighorn sheep climbed rocky areas.

The naturalist also found a bird with a special song and yellow breast, which he realized was a new kind – the Western Meadowlark. Wolf packs followed the big herds, and Audubon wrote down their hunting habits.

Barges Loaded with 10,000 Buffalo Robes Signaled Trouble

On May 18, Audubon’s steamboat passed barges floating downriver packed with buffalo robes. Crew members told him the barges carried about 10,000 robes headed for eastern markets.

The size of the hunting business shocked Audubon. These robes meant thousands of buffalo killed in just one season by fur company hunters.

Audubon wrote in his journal about the growing demand for buffalo products in eastern cities and Europe.

Hunters Killed Four Buffalo But Took Only One Tongue

Audubon watched on May 23 as hunters shot four buffalo but took meat from just one. They cut out only the tongue from another bull and left the rest of the animals to rot on the prairie.

This waste made the naturalist angry, and he wrote about the “senseless murder” of thousands of buffalo.

Audubon noted how Native tribes used most parts of the animals they killed, while commercial hunters often took only the most valuable parts.

Fort Union Became Home Base for Audubon’s Team

The group reached Fort Union on June 13, 1843. Located where North Dakota meets Montana at the spot where the Yellowstone River joins the Missouri, this American Fur Company trading post became their camp for the next two months.

The fort buzzed with activity as Native American tribes came to trade furs for goods. Audubon set up a workspace to prepare samples and make detailed drawings.

The Team Collected and Drew Dozens of Animal Specimens

Audubon and his helpers worked hard at Fort Union, killing and saving samples of mule deer, black-tailed deer, and white wolves. They made drawings showing exact details needed for science records.

The team also gathered plants and wrote down information about local habitats.

Audubon focused on artwork while his assistants prepared animal skins and organized their growing collection.

Audubon Predicted Buffalo Would Vanish Like the Great Auk

The wasteful hunting Audubon saw led him to make a bold prediction.

He wrote that buffalo would disappear like the Great Auk, a flightless seabird hunted to extinction just a few years earlier. “The buffalo’s doom is sealed,” he noted in his journal.

His warning came decades before the great herds nearly vanished from overhunting in the 1870s and 1880s. Few people listened to Audubon’s concerns at the time.

Native Tribes Shared Their Knowledge of Local Wildlife

Audubon met with members of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and other tribal communities during his stay at Fort Union. Local hunters showed him animal homes he might have missed otherwise.

Audubon wrote down their knowledge about animal movements, eating patterns, and behaviors in his notes. He drew pictures of tribal members and described their hunting methods.

Fourteen New Bird Species and Several Mammals Joined Audubon’s List

By the end of the trip, Audubon claimed to have found 14 new bird species and 3-4 previously unknown mammals. These findings greatly expanded scientific understanding of wildlife in the Great Plains region.

The samples and drawings from this journey provided key material for “The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. ” This work showed 150 North American mammal species with detailed pictures and descriptions.

The Aging Naturalist Headed Home as His Health Began to Fail

Audubon’s group left Fort Union on August 16, traveling by mackinaw boat back toward St. Louis.

The downstream journey went much faster than their upriver travel.

“The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America” was published between 1845-1848, but Audubon’s health deteriorated rapidly after the expedition.

His son John helped complete the final volumes as Audubon’s mind and body weakened.

The Missouri River journey marked the last major expedition for the famous naturalist, who died in 1851 at age 65, having left an unmatched legacy of American wildlife documentation.

Visiting Audubon NWR, North Dakota

Audubon National Wildlife Refuge at 3275 11th St. NW in Coleharbor honors John James Audubon’s final expedition documenting mammals for his Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.

You can drive the 8-mile auto tour route along Lake Audubon’s south shore to see wildlife like Audubon did in 1843. The visitor center opens Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm with free admission to 14,739 acres.

Walk the 1-mile Prairie Nature Trail or explore 13 miles of North Country National Scenic Trail.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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