Pigeon Roost in the Indian Territory

Such a scene as is presented at the great wild pigeon roost in the Indian territory, some fifty miles southwest of this city, is very uncommon, and has no equal anywhere in America. The "roost" includes a space of about forty acres in the timber, and then they return to the roost in the evening the trees are perfectly black with them. The Indians who own the land will not permit other parties to take advantage of the game, but hire men who sit at the roots of trees and shoot and throw clubs all night, and the next morning the ground is literally covered with pigeons, and they are gathered up, loaded into wagons and hauled to this city, where the Indians realize from 10 to 25 cents per dozen for them. During the day only now and then a pigeon can be seen in the vicinity of the roost, but they invariably return at night. Those who own the land say they have killed dozens of wagon loads this fall and still the number does not seem to diminish in the least, nor does the nightly slaughter seem to intimidate them. — From the Joplin News.

December 20, 1878. The pigeon roost. State Journal 6(49): 6. Issued at Jefferson City, Missouri.

Great Pigeon Roost in Going Snake District

Tahlequah, I.T., via Muskogee, I.T., Oct. 23. — The greatest wild pigeon roost in the United States is just now located about twenty miles north of this place, in Going Snake district, this Nation. A man just from there says the trees covering a mile square of timbered land are literally as full as the limbs will bear, at night, with these birds. Millions of pigeons are there, he says, and at night when they come in to roost they make a noise like mighty thunder. Bird men tell us there are only two droves of wild pigeons now in North America, and this is the largest one. A great many people are encamped around the roost engaged in trapping, netting and killing them for shipment, whcih they are doing by the thousands. New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis and other places of less note are represented at this roost. For dead ones the slayers ger, on an average $2.00 per 100; for live ones the netter gets $4 to $6 per 100. A great many Indians are making from $2 to $3 a day in the pigeon district.

October 29, 1886. A great pigeon roost. Perrysburg Journal 34(30): 1. Also: November 6, 1886 in National Republican and Los Angeles Daily Herald; November 17, 1886 in Louisiana Democrat; et al.

Millions of Wild Pigeons - Immense Roost in Indian Territory

The Arrival of 8,500 Pigeons in Time for the Coney Island Tournament - How they were Trapped and Transported to this Market.

There arrived on Saturday night, at a place near Jersey City, a car containing 8,500 wild pigeons that had been shipped from Atoka, Indian Territory. They are the first installment of 20,000 which W.F. Thomas of Phillipsburg, N.J. contracted to supply the New York State Sportsmen's Association. The pigeons were placed in pens, from which they will be taken as wanted. These pens are simply low, clean sheds. An inclined plane of slatted framework in each pen furnishes the pigeons with a roost. They are very shy. A slight noise on the outside of a pen produces a loud whir on the inside. When the trap door of a pen was cautiously opened yesterday to allow the reporter to peer inside, the twitter and rustle made up a strong volume of sound.

"They make a good deal of noise," said Mr. Thomas, "but it is nothing to the din at the pigeon roost where these were trapped. I have heard the cackling of the pigeons, as they were setting on their nests in the evening, fully a mile away."

Mr. Thomas makes a business of trapping pigeons for field sport. He will get four more car loads from the Indian territory, making a total of 20,000 pigeons.

"The business will not be a profitable one this year," he said, "because we have had to go so far to get them. Heretofore the pigeons have roosted in Pennsylvania or Michigan. But this year, owing to the late, cold spring, they did not come as far north as usual, and they made a roost in the Pottawattomie reservation of the Indian Territory, 110 miles away from the nearest railroad station. I had to transport all my lumber and supplied from Atoka, and the pigeons had to be hauled there for shipment. At one time I had fifteen wagons on the road. There are several streams to be crossed, but most of the way the road is pretty level. It took a wagon about three days to make the trip from the roost to Atoka.

"The roost is the largest I have ever seen. The country there is thickly grown over with what they call post oak timber, from the fact, I suppose, that tree trunks are just about post size. The acorns are so abundant that it is a splendid feeding ground for them. I went into the roost for about ten miles without finding any signs of an end. Every tree was thick with pigeons, the branches bending down with their weight. When the birds have been coming home from the feeding grounds in the evening I have seen a stream about a mile broad flow through the air for two hours thick enough to hide the sun, and making a noise like thunder. I should judge the roost to be about twenty miles long and fifteen broad.

"There has been little or no shooting, and that has been a good thing for us, as shooting makes the birds scary and harder to trap. There is plenty of deer and turkeys on the reservation, and the Pottawattomies do not care for pigeons, so they do not hunt in the roost. The Indians were very friendly, and some of them are working for a St. Louis firm that are catching squabs and shipping them to market. Men go about with poles punching the squabs out of their nests. They are packed in barrels with ice, and sent to all the large cities as far north as Boston. My business was altogether with the live pigeons, which we caught in nets."

Mr. Thomas explained the methods of the trappers. The nets used will cover a space of 40 feet by 30. One end of the net is fastened to a rope, which is drawn taut, so that when let go the net is thrown out like an arrow, falling upon the pigeons that have gathered in front of it. The pigeons are generally caught on their feeding grounds of their water beds. When a good feeding ground is located the nets are set, and the trapper puts himself in a hut of boughs at one end of the net line. Pigeons are saved from one season to another for use as decoys. When a flock of pigeons is seen coming, a pigeon is thrown up into the air to attract the attention of the flock, the bird being pulled down again with a string. This bird is called the flyer. Another decoy called the stool pigeon is made use of at the same time. He is tied to a perch on the free end of a strip of iron band about four feet long. As the flock approaches a string is pulled which makes the spring bounce him up and down, and he flaps his wings to keep his balance. He presents the appearance to the approaching flock of a bird hovering over a feeding ground, and they settle down around him.

"How many pigeons have you caught at one time?" the reporter asked.

"I once saw sixty-seven dozen caught at one cast of the net," said Mr. Thomas, "but thirty or forty dozen is an average big catch. Sometimes there will only be a dozen or so. I have seen the net lifted up on the wings of the pigeons until it bellied out like a balloon. A number of pigeons toward the edge are apt to get out, but the men are quick, and work around the edges, stowing the birds in crates as fast as they can get them out, and rolling the net up as they work in, until they have got all the pigeons, when the net is set again for another cast."

The pigeons are caught on water beds as well as on the feeding grounds. A water bed is made by filling an excavation with water. The pigeons on their way home from feeding will stop to drink, and are caught under the nets. Sometimes salt is used. "This season," said Mr. Thomas, "the acorns were so plentiful that the birds did not have to search for feeding grounds and they did not decoy well. The water beds did not draw well, either, as they had the Canada River, the water of which is alkaline, so that salt also had no attraction for them. We caught the most on gravel beds along the river as they would settle down for stones to put in their crops to grind up the acorns."

Pigeons are methodical in their habits in these great roosts. Early in the morning the Tom flight occurs. This is composed of the male birds on their way to the feeding grounds. When they have fed and drunk, they return to the nests, and the female birds go to feed. The hen flight takes place between 8 and 9 o'clock. In the afternoon there is another Tom flight, and toward evening another hen flight. The bird stop for gravel or water on their way home from feeding.

The crates in which the birds are put when caught are simply large flat coops. The netters are spread over an area of twelve or fourteen miles. Every evening teams make a round and collect all the crates. It is now necessary to get the birds "on their feed," or else they will die. They are put in pens and given corn to eat, with plenty of water to drink. For several days after they are captured they will hardly eat at all, and it is only after they have become accustomed to the change that they can be again crated and shipped. Two men travel in the car, and the pigeons are regularly fed and watered. The car load which arrived on Saturday night was shipped on Thursday morning, and the birds were fed and watered four times while en route.

Pigeons nest four times a season, having one egg to a nest. "One result of the inaccessible nature of this year's roost," said Mr. Thomas, "is that the increase is larger than ever known before. The number of squabs killed and pigeons netted is insignificant in comparison with the number hatched out. There are millions of them there."

These wild pigeons are smaller than the domestic pigeon. Their plumage is a mixture of slate and gray. They have long tail feathers, and are birds of far quicker and stronger flight than ordinary pigeons. The pigeons now penned near Jersey City will be used in the pigeon shooting tournament at Coney Island next week.

June 14, 1881. New York Sun 48(287): 3.

The following graphics were not included in the newspaper article, but are secondary items that are pertinent.

Map of a portion of the Indian Territory in Oklahoma, 1879.

A General Land Office map showing the setting along the Canadian River, including depictions of the "post-oak" woods. Although this map was prepared in August 1899, it is helpful in depicting the landscape of the era.

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Showing both the original version and the reprinted version allows a comparison between the two.

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Wild Pigeons - An Immense Roost in the Indian Territory

Pigeons for Coney Island - How They Were Trapped and Transported

One night last week a car arrived at Jersey city from the Indian territory, containing 8,500 wild pigeons, the first installment of 20,000 contracted as supply to the New York sportsmen association. The pigeons were in pens like low, close sheds. An incline plane of slatted framework in each pen furnishes the pigeons with a roost. A slight noise on the outside of the pen produces a loud whir on the inside. Then the trap door of a pen was cautiously opened to allow the reporter to peer inside, the twitter and rustle made up a strong volume of sound. "They make a good deal of noise," said Mr. Thomas, "but it is nothing to the din at the pigeon roost,

Where These were Trapped.

I have heard the cackling of the pigeons, as they were settling on their nests in the evening, fully a mile away. Mr. Thomas makes a business of trapping pigeons for field sport. He will get four more car loads from the Indian territory, making a total of 40,000 pigeons. "The business will not be a profitable one this year," he said, "because we have to go so far to get them. Heretofore the pigeons have nested in Pennsylvania or Michigan. But this year, owing to the late, cold spring, they did not come as far north as usual, and they made a roost in Pottwattomie reservation of the Indian territory, one hundred and ten miles from the nearest railroad station. I had to transport all my lumber and supplies from Atoka, and the pigeons had to be hauled there for shipment. At one time I had fifteen wagons on the road. It took a wagon about three days to make the roost to Atoka. The roost is the largest I have ever seen. The country there is thickly grown over with what they call post oak timber, from the fact, I suppose, that tree trunks are just about post size. The acorns are so abundant that it is a

Splendid Feeding Ground

For them. I went into the roost for about ten miles without finding any signs of an end. Every tree was thick with pigeons, the branches bending down with their weight. When the birds have been coming home from the feeding grounds in the evening I have seen a stream about a mile broad flow through the air for two hours, thick enough to hide the sun, and making a noise like thunder. I should judge the roost to be about twenty miles long and fifteen broad. There has been little or no shooting, and that has been a good thing for us, as shooting makes the birds scary and harder to trap. There is plenty of deer and turkeys on the reservations, and the Pottawattomies do not care for pigeons, so they do not hunt in the roost. The Indians are very friendly. Men go about with poles punching the squabs out of their nests. They are packed in barrels with ice, and sent to all the large cities as far north as Boston. My business was altogether with the live pigeon, which we caught in nets." Mr. Thomas explained the methods of the trappers. The nets used will cover a space of forty feet by thirty. One end of the net is fastened to a rope, which is drawn taut, so that when let go

The Net is Thrown Out Like an Arrow,

Falling upon the pigeons that have gathered in front of it. The pigeons are caught on their feeding grounds or water beds. When a good ground is located the nets are set, and the trapper puts himself on a hut of boughs at one end of the net line. When a flock of pigeons is seen coming, a pigeon is thrown up in the air to attract the attention of the flock, the bird being pulled down again with a string. The bird is called the flyer. Another decoy bird called the stool pigeon is made use of at the same time. He is tied to a perch on the free end of a strip of iron band about four feet long. As the flock approaches a string is pulled, which makes the spring bounce him up and down, and he flaps his wings to keep his balance. He presents the appearance to the approaching flock of a bird hovering over a feeding ground, and they settle down around him. "I once saw sixty-seven dozen caught at one cast of the net," said Mr. Thomas, "but thirty or forty dozen is an average big catch. Sometimes there will be only a dozen or so. I have seen the net lifted up on the wings of the pigeons until it

Settled Out Like a Balloon.

A number of pigeons toward the edge are apt to get out, but the men are quick, and work around the edges, stowing the birds in crates as fast as they get them out, and rolling the net up as they work in, until they have got all the pigeons, when the net is set again for another cast. The pigeons are caught on water beds as well as on feeding grounds. A water bed is made by filling an excavation with water. The pigeons on their way home from feeding will stop to drink, and are caught under the nets. Sometimes salt is used. "This season," said Mr. Thomas, "the acorns were so plentiful that the birds did not have to search for feeding grounds and did not decoy well. The water beds did not draw well, either, as they had the Canada river, the water of which is alkaline, so that salt also had no attraction for them. We caught the most on gravel beds along the river as they would settle down for stones to put in their crops to grind up the acorns." Pigeons are unethical in their habits in these great roosts. Early in the morning the Tom flight occurs. This is composed of the male birds on their way to the feeding grounds. When they have fed and drank, they return to the nests, and the female birds go to feed. The hen flight takes place between 8 and 9 o'clock. In the afternoon there is another Tom flight, and towards the evening another hen flight. The

Birds Stop for Gravel or Water

On their way home from feeding. The crates in which the birds are put when caught are simply large flat coops. The netters are spread over an area of twelve or fourteen miles. Every evening the teams make a round and collect all the crates. It is now necessary to get the birds on their feed, or else they will dye. They are put in pens and given corn to eat, with plenty of water to drink. For several days after they are captured they will hardly eat at all, and it is only after they have become accustomed to the change that they can be again crated and shipped. Two men travel in the car, and the pigeons are regularly fed and watered. The car loads which arrived on Saturday are shipped on Thursday morning, and the birds were fed and watered four times while en route. Pigeons nest four times a season, having one egg to a nest. "One result of the inaccessible nature of the locality of this years roost," said Mr. Thomas, "is that the increase is larger than ever known before. The number of squabs killed and pigeons netted is insignificant in comparison with the number hatched out. There are millions of them there. These wild pigeons are smaller than the domestic pigeon. Their plumage is a mixture of slate and gray. They have long tail feathers, and are birds of far quicker and stronger flight than ordinary pigeons. The pigeons are now penned near Jersey city will be used in the pigeon shooting tournament at Coney island.

June 24, 1881. Ouachita Telegraph 16(42): 1. June 29th in the Clearfield Republican. July 1, 1881, Daily Astorian 15(53): 1; and, August 3, 1881 in the Red Bank Register 4(6): 3.

Kiowa Calendar Depicts Mythology of Plains Birds

A personal calendar depicting times of the Kiowa tribe, includes depictions of birds and their context to life on the Great Plains. For each year, a carefully-drawn image continually record tribal events from the summer of 1828 to 1928-29, a particular event or two getting prominence.

Haungooah was the "most highly esteemed artist of the Kiowa tribe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and a respected religious leader in his later years," according to Candace S. Greene, author of One Hundred Summers. Silver Horn - his English name equivalent - was born in 1860 and lived for 80 years.

His work is a detailed presentation, of events, dating to the years when the Kiowa freely moved about their lands in what is now southwest Oklahoma and northern Texas.

By the latter 19th century, as the tribe was moved to a reservation, Silver Horn was learning how to depict things, note events, understand the mythology and being able to put it all together in a unique rendition of a year's memorable event.

Graphic Bird Depictions

There are a number of notable entries in the Kiowa Calendar Record. One Hundred Summers, also refers to "pictorial conventions" which includes the "Death Owl" similar in appearance to the Great Horned Owl. This pictograph is used a number of times.

One name glyph is a representation of "Bird Bow," showing a Golden Eagle sitting on a bow.

1828 Pipe Dance Kado

A pipe adorned by feathers hanging from the stem

1843 Nest Building Kado

Apparently a crow built its nest in the fork of the Medicine Lodge center pole, after the dance was finished, according to Mooney.

1845-46 Thunder Boy killed winter

Silver Horn drew the torso of Thunder Boy, and in the sky above was a "powerful thunderbird with arrows in its talons and winds generated by its beating wings."

1852 Surround fight summer

The death owl by the tree "represents Lone Bear, who fell dead while cutting tipi poles. The event was memorable as it was a disgrace for a man to cut poles, which was considered women's work," according to One Hundred Summers account, which is given for each image of the calendar.

The death owl was drawn in 1853-1854 to depict the death of Black Bear. Also in 1863-1864 when Big Head, a Kiowa warrior who died in the winter camp. Then again in 1868-1869 when Black Kettle, killed by troops under Custer's command, at the Battle of the Washita. Then in 1888, to mark when Peyote Man died, and later in the same time, Sun Boy, then about a year later, Stumbling Bear's son; in 1897-98 a Kiowa woman, known as Leader, was Sankadote's wife.

1860 Bird Appearing killed summer

A golden eagle overs from over the top of the hill, with an inscription: "Tenebati killed."

In the 1860s, the imagery was adapting to the dramatic changes underway on the great plains. Treaty events were indicated. For 1871-1872, the image has nine Pawnee leaders, each wearing a single eagle feather, pointing from atop their heads. They came to the Kiowa to talk peace. For the summer of 1872, the death of Bird Bow was indicated, after he died in a drunken fight.

For 1883-1884, as the Kiowa leased their range to encroaching herds of Texas steers, and a short-horn breed of cattle was at the top of the image, along with a coin. In the 1890s, men of the tribe enlisted in the Seventh Cavalry, based at Fort Sill.

1878-79 White Cowbird killed winter

White Cowbird had, according to Mooney, been killed by Texans, while he was hunting in Oklahoma.

1880 Big Bow died

The Death Owl depicted Big Bow's death

1880-81 Dance winter

A medicine man was illustrated, with two large feathers part of his garb

1900 Prairie Chicken died summer

The death owl looming in the corner, and a prairie chicken with its neck tufts erected and fan tailed - indicating lek antics - is how the death of a man, known as Prairie Chicken.

1902 Crow Lance and Beaver died summer

A crow with a lance, indicates the name glyph for Crow Lance, and the death owl beneath a tree.

During all these times, Silver Horn drew the years' history. In the later years, events where oriented towards life on the reservation.

Pawnee visiting the Kiowa. From One Hundred Summers.

Silver Horn prepared other calendars, including one in 1904 for James Mooney, and that is in the Smithsonian. During these years, there were many deaths, as the horned owl was shown many times.

A Feather Dance took place in the summer of 1911. This was the Kiowa version of the Ghost Dance. Silver Moon apparently also prepared a detailed hide painting of this dance, according to Candace S. Greene, in her wonderfully interesting book. In 1915, an attempt to have this dance was thwarted by an Indian agent.

In 1928-29, flying birds were shown in two different boxes, and the caption for the image indicates it may represent days when the Army men got paid, in slang known as "when the eagle flies" and a record of payment received. This was the final entry made in the calendar.

The original drawings reproduced in great and exquisite detail, are given in chronological sequence in "One Hundred Summers" with one series of three images per page. Their is great documentation. Now, if only the images could be appreciated with easy view on the web.

The death owl continued it prominent theme, obviously having an essential role of tribal mythology for historic ornithology, as wonderfully drawn by Haungooah, of the Kiowa.