Customer Reviews

The Hunting of the Buffalo

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Branch published "The Hunting of the Buffalo" in 1929. He had the benefit of having his topic still within many living memories yet a vantage from an era largely removed from the politics and economics of the days of the Buffalo.
Branch was more a "chroncler" than a dry-data historian, and for that the reader should be thankful. He was also a gifted writer and easily capable of putting Life into the beached old bones of the Plains Bison.
Branch shows the era of the Buffalo and its' cast of characters as they were - thankfully sparing the reader all the dishonest political correctness that infects much of our "history" since the 60s. Following the lead of early conservationists (eg. Hornaday), Branch gives the government and the money barons the egg-in-the-faces they deserve. And, refreshingly, a la Catlin, he is also daring enough to show the unpalatable, unsanitized primitive side of the Indians too.
Branch was a bit of a renegade, as the lengthy, interesting and poignant introduction by J. Frank Dobie reveals. But his grasp of the essence of the Buffalo and the whirlpool of circumstances that brought on its' swan song was accurate and his deft ability to tell a wonderful story makes "The Hunting of the Buffalo" a truly entertaining read for anyone interested in one of the greatest pageants to have taken place on our continent.