Excerpts from "East of Antelope Island," commissioned by Daughters of Utah Pioneers in 1948. Reprinted with permission.
White & Sons Co. is credited with putting the first buffalo on the Island. It happened in rather an unusual way as follows: Wm. Glassman of Ogden was visiting with some friends in the Lone Star State, Texas. While riding along one day he saw a large herd of buffalo grazing in the fields.
Thrilled by the sight of this herd of large ugly animals, he became interested and upon inquiry learned that they belonged to a man nicknamed "Buffalo Jones." It is said that William F. Cody was nicknamed "Buffalo Bill" because he loved to kill. With Buffalo Jones, it was just the opposite. His hobby and ambition were to own and preserve the buffalo. On his ranch in Texas, he had over 1,000 of them.
Mr. Glassman purchased a carload, 12 in all, and billed them out to Ogden, but for some unknown reason they were sidetracked and unloaded at a place called E.T., a little railroad town southwest of Garfield in Tooele County. This was the year 1891. They were herded and grazed here for some two years when they were purchased by the White & Sons company and transferred to Antelope Island.
Numerous stories have been told of how the buffalo were transferred from E.T. to the Island. Some have said they were driven over at the south point of the Island. They tell of the thrilling experiences and narrow escapes encountered while crowding them through the waters.
In the year 1891, Bill Glassman bought 12 head of buffalo and unloaded them at E.T. Two years later he sold them to White & Sons Co. There were 17 now. In the contract drawn up, Mr. Glassman agreed to deliver them to Lake Park, Farmington. White & Sons Co. had charge of the Island at that time, and Mr. Wm. Walker, an expert stockman, was their foreman. The company owned a large, fiat boat, which they had used for several years to transport their cattle to and from the Island. Mr. Walker, knowing the prowess of the buffalo, reinforced this boat by making it higher and putting a top over it with poles. It was then tied firmly to the loading place at Lake Park.
All arrangements having been completed, they were ready for the buffalo. Mr. Glassman enlisted the service of Wm. Walker, M.C. Udy and Perry Potter, all expert horsemen. After a long day's ride, this quartet arrived at E.T. The next morning they were in their saddles early, and armed with double-barreled shotguns, started out on their arduous task.
The buffalo were grazing quietly in the fields; when the horsemen rode up they started off helter-skelter across the prairie in the wrong direction. There is no turning a herd of buffalo. When stampeded, they put their heads close to the ground, and shoulder to shoulder they rush blindly and madly onward. There is only one course left for the horsemen to pursue, and that is let them go until they exhaust themselves. Mr. Glassman, knowing this, led his riders in a roundabout way for about 10 miles. When the buffalo finally stopped, they rode up from the opposite side, and with heir shotguns turned them back in the direction of the ranch. It was night before they corralled them, and so they rested until morning. It was a different herd that started out the next morning.
The course taken with them was up by Garfield, Black Rock, across the bottom lands, over the Jordan toward where the Cuddahy plant is, up to the state highways, along north to Glovers Lane and down to the loading place at Lake Park. Considerable excitement was created by them as they passed along the highway through Bountiful and Centerville. It was a sight people had never seen before and probably never would again.
I am told that Buffalo Jones died soon after Mr. Glassman purchased the 12 head from him, and the buffalo on his ranch were sold to the government and put on a reserve. This left the ones owned by White and Sons about the only privately owned herd in the United States. The government would not sell theirs, so orders soon came from different parts to our local company.
One order came each year from a resort way back in Rochester, N.Y., where they held an annual barbecue. The price paid was $300 each. The first one, and the very largest on the Island, was bought by Mr. Mahessy, taxidermist, of Salt Lake City. His place of business was at the old Knutsford Hotel. Mr. Mahessy, who was an expert at the business, cured and mounted this huge buffalo hide and placed it on exhibition in front of his store. A group of distinguished German tourists visiting the city put up at the Knutsford, saw this wonderful looking animal, became interested and bought it from Mr. Mahessy and sent it with their compliments to the Imperial Museum at Berlin. The price paid was $3,000.
W.K. Whitney, secretary of the Navy under Grover Cleveland, bought three of them and shipped them alive to his home in Vermont. These also sold for $300 each. The above are just a few of the many orders that came to White & Sons Co.
In the year 1894, they bought 10 head of elk and put them on the Island. Beautiful large ones they were. Unlike the wild antelope that once graced the Island by their beauty and cunningness, they were more domesticated and liked to play and romp around close to the ranch where they were petted and fed from the hands of the women as well as men. They formed the habit of roaming over the south end of the Island, where in the springtime it was warmer and the grass sprang up more quickly.
Elk, like their cousin the moose, are fond of water and delight in wading out and feeding on the grasses that spring up. Although there was no grass growing in the lake; nevertheless, they formed the habit of going out in the water. It didn't last long, however. There were some fellows from Magna working at Saltair beach who discovered this little herd as they played each day on the opposite shore and planned to have some fun.
At an opportune time they jumped into one of the company's gasoline launches and struck out across the lake. Under cover of the Island they were able to get in close without being seen. As they rounded the point of the Island, they came suddenly upon the innocent and unsuspecting elk and killed the entire lot.