Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Recent discussion in the Cavalry folder about Jaguar Chaperas and eventually big cats, led me to think...what other sort of wildlife is now abscent from various locations in America?

For example; I've heard that Elk once roamed the Mountains of VA...today VA is devoid of any signs they once inhabited here...

Does anyone have documentation to support this or other types of now abscent wildlife, which our forebearers would have been aware of/hunted/lived with?

Paul B.

[guad42]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

I had the unusual experience of seeing what my cousin referred to as a "Fish Cat" along the Ipswich River in Massachusetts last summer. Apparently I am one of the few in my New England family to have seen one, ever.

It seems that these may have been more common in the Colonial and 19th Century periods.

Perhaps others have seen them more frequently, but I am told they are somewhat rare.

It reminded me of the bobcats we see in Arizona.

-Sam Dolan

[Spinster]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

Probably the most shining example of such:

The Passenger Pigeon, gone forever:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Pigeon

Elk in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/elk.htm

Seeing these come again, along with their known predators, provides a facinating view in some of the more secluded areas of this park that is quickly being 'loved to death'.

Pressure on habit also brings out animals thought long gone, as they move from seclued, isolated places into more populated ones, in a search for food. With relatives living on the fringes of related National Forests, recent years have brought reports of large cat and bear. We've often referred to our annual hatch-off of goose eggs, (caged raised and then acclimated to a farm pond in long wire runs), as the Fox Welfare Project. Needless to say, the mortality rate is rather high.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

Passenger Pigeons, Ivory billed Woodpeckers and Carolina Parakeets are good places to start. I would simply say find a book of Audubon and Bachman prints and you need to look no further. Winged-things and quadrupeds galore.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

For the most part the same cold-blooded, scaly things existing in America in the mid 19th century are still around today. The same thing goes for fishes. There aren’t as many Sturgeon or Coral or Indigo snakes but they are still here. It’s the furry or feathered critters that we are missing.

[Rev]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

Does anyone know when the last of the Bison were east of the Mississippi? I've never been able to find that time frame for that.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

Does anyone know when the last of the Bison were east of the Mississippi? I've never been able to find that time frame for that.

In very small, isolated herds, roughly 1830 to '35

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

Hallo!

Eastern bison...

By the 1820's the bison were hunted out east of the Mississippi.

Historical accounts show that the last of the bison in Pennsylvania was killed in 1801, although most were gone by 1780. In Virignia were killed outside of Charleston in
1825. The last in Kentucky 1820. The last in Tenneesee in 1823. The last in Louisiana in 1803. The last in Illinois in 1808. In Indiana 1830.

However, those are wild beasties. For example, George Thompson in Kentucky kept a small herd on his farm from 1825 to 1875. Thomas Carneal also of KY kept pair in 1827General William Harding in Tennessee had 200 deer, 20 buffalo, and six elk in 1859.

The last wolf was seen in Ohio in 1835.

Curt

[cap tassel]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

Does anyone have documentation to support this or other types of now abscent wildlife, which our forebearers would have been aware of/hunted/lived with?

Paul B.

Yes but it's packed away somewhere. It's pretty well documented that mountain lions lived in much of the eastern parts of the US during the 19th century, actually even up to very recent times in some spots. There are other things too that have been discontinued but I shouldn't try to remember them being so tired right now.

[tomarch]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

Another good example is the Calif. state animal which no longer lives here, the Grizzly Bear. Localy here in Santa Barbara, they used to be a big problem for the vaqueros as the bears would sometimes eat the local cattle.

[Lone Guard]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

The Mexican Grey Wolf has nearly been lost forever, conservation efforts are trying to bring them back in numbers.

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/wolf/naturalhistory.shtml

And it may come to the suprise of some, Beavers are indigenous to Arizona, early trappers noted their large numbers. Unfortunately Arizona is a "Dam"-Happy state and much of the beaver's natural habitat was destroyed; this and extreme trapping and hunting nearly wiped them out for good. I am glad to see though that they are again growing in numbers.

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/game_beaver.shtml

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

The Mexican Grey Wolf has nearly been lost forever, conservation efforts are trying to bring them back in numbers.

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/wolf/naturalhistory.shtml

And it may come to the suprise of some, Beavers are indigenous to Arizona, early trappers noted their large numbers. Unfortunately Arizona is a "Dam"-Happy state and much of the beaver's natural habitat was destroyed; this and extreme trapping and hunting nearly wiped them out for good. I am glad to see though that they are again growing in numbers.
http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/game_beaver.shtml

Speaking of Beavers, I was reminded that the Golden Beaver was trapped out during the Beaver-Trade...although I cannot seem to put my hands on a date for the extinction.

This is really great information, and a topic seldom discussed in the community...please keep it coming!

It's great to hear about the re-introduction of Elk to the Smoky Mountains! I believe there is a Bison-Farm along the I-79 corridor in Northern PA...not wild...but a farmed re-introduction of a herd not seen for nearly two centuries.

Paul B.

[EVOC]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

In the 19th Century, black bears and wolves were still plentiful in East Texas. There were even a few panthers. The wolves were driven off or exterminated long ago and the bear population was dropped to nothing in 1947.

Black bears are making an unofficial comeback as they have always existed across the Sabine River in Louisiana. There have never been restrictions on hunting predatory animals in Texas and ranchers are jealous of their livestock.

From the Handbook of Texas, regarding the The Big Thicket of East Texas:
"Before the incursion of the lumber and oil industries, this heart of the thicket was characterized by dense vegetation and by large numbers of deer, bear, panthers, and wolves, as well as the common varieties of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians."

In far SW Texas, in the Big Bend Country, black bears have always managed to survive. It is a largely unpopulated remote mountain area with no ranches.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

The extinction dates of the Eastern (woodland) Bison are all over the place, from 1800 to the 1850’s and the last wild kills are reported in Wisconsin, Kentucky and Virginia.

The Red Wolf has been reintroduced in lands that I hunt and it looks as if they are taking a small bite out of the Coyote population. Beaver are once again a huge pest here. I have personally observed a female panther in western Virginia several times over three years. She was initially untagged so may have been a wild born cat.

We have discussed animals so far but the Long Leaf Pine and the loss of that unique habitat is an important factor here. It’s funny how some things work; the efficiency of our wild-fire suppression has put a big dent in natural Long Leaf Pine germination.

I tiptoe around Alligators almost daily.
This little girl and her babies are in a tailrace below an 1810’s rice plane.

[shmhistorylive]

Re: Indegenous Wildlife ca. 19th century America

The Arizona Game & Fish Department published a book that used original sources to document the earliest game sightings mentioned in the state. Noted were grizzly bears and wolves, both of which are no longer found in the state, although there has been an attempt to reintroduce wolves. What is interesting is that there is no early mention of elk, but there are places in AZ where they are a pest to ranchers. Martin mentioned beavers which there are some, but they aren't the original variety and the same goes with wild turkeys. Both of those had to be re-intorduced.