The turn of the 19th century marks a cornerstone in American conservation. This is when the first men began to recognize the trends of North American Wildlife, and the necessity of conservation. Through fur booms, settlers, and company trappers the West had begun to change. The American Bison, an animal described as infinite since the arrival of Louis and Clark, had all but disappeared, yet even at this time few men seemed to understand the importance of what was happening. This is when the first true and great conservationist of our time began to emerge. Men such as Teddy Roosevelt, Aldo Leupold, and John Muir.

“Mixed with the eager excitement of the hunter was a certain half melancholy feeling as I gazed on these bison, themselves part of the last remnant of a doomed and nearly vanished race.” Teddy Roosevelt, states in his text “Hunting the Grisly and Other Sketches.” “Few, indeed, are the men who now have, or evermore shall have, the chance of seeing the mightiest of American beasts, in all his wild vigor, surrounded by the tremendous desolation of his far-off mountain home.”

Killing the bison from the plains was seen as more than just a market for the tongues and coats, it was a means to an end of the conflict with Native Americans. This reasoning led even those who predicted what would happen, to have a sort of resigned acceptance. This is what makes the first conservationists so respectable, they not only recognized what the American Society was doing, but fought back.

John Dooly, was a pioneer to Salt Lake, and worked as a banker. Around 1884, Dooley took ownership of Antelope Island. In 1893, a time when an estimated 800 bison remained on the American Landscape, John Dooly, performed the monumental task of purchasing 12 bison for the island. Even if conservation wasn’t the forefront of Dooly’s reasoning, it was a defining moment for Antelope Island. Dooly bought the herd with the intention of supplementing his income by using them as an attraction, intending to charge people to hunt them, and to visit to see the animals. The hunts opened in 1898, and the $200 charge attracted the types such as heavyweight champion Jack Dempsy.

In later years, Dooly realized that in order to retain the profits he wanted, he needed to switch gears to cattle ranching. To clear space to run cattle, and despite protests to the governor, Dooly organized a hunt that took the near 400 head, the largest at the time, down to just 50. Years and failed attempts to sell the herds passed, including an attempt to sell them to zoos, the department of interior, and various others. Over time the herd numbers exploded once more.

By 1981 the state of Utah had acquired the island, and the herd. By 1986, the officers decided the numbers needed to be managed, and thus started the annual Great Buffalo Roundup. During the event the animals are all herded to a pen in the interior of the island, where the health and weights are evaluated, before they cull necessary numbers. Steven Bates, the current biologist out on the island, switched gears to a cow and calf operation. The herd now sees a 150-250 calf bump, and is able to feed conservation across the entire country.

It is speculated by some experts now, that every bison currently has cattle in their gene pool to some degree. Cattle were mixed with bison to help in conservation efforts, to make them bigger, and to make them eat better. Around 12 years ago, the biologist on the island ran genetic testing on the herd-they found only three animals with cattle genes. This is a testament to the success the island has seen since its birth.

It seems one thing is certain, if it was not for operations like Antelope Island, bison would no longer have any presence on the landscape. λ