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American Bison Society. Office of President. William T. Hornaday records

 Fonds
Identifier: 1010

Scope and Content

This collection contains incoming and outgoing correspondence from Hornaday's tenure as founding President of the American Bison Society, scrapbooks and photograph albums regarding the ABS compiled by Hornaday, and two scrapbooks on bison and antelope censuses compiled by M. Hall McAllister. Also included are subject files, clippings, reference matter, and subscription lists for the Montana National Bison Herd, established in 1909, largely through Hornaday’s efforts. Principal correspondents include Ernest H. Baynes, Morton J. Elrod, Isaac N. Haley, Franklin W. Hooper, C. J. Jones, Frederic H. Kennard, Harry V. Radford, and Edmund Seymour.

Dates

  • 1905 - 1934

Creator

Access Restrictions

Please contact the WCS Archives regarding possible access restrictions.

Usage Restrictions

Please contact the WCS Archives regarding possible usage restrictions.

Historical Note

Overhunting brought the American bison near to extinction by the end of the nineteenth century. William T. Hornaday, Director of the New York Zoological Park, was an early and active supporter of bison conservation. On December 8, 1905 a meeting was held at the Bronx Zoo to organize a national society that would establish herds bred from specimens in private, captive collections and would place them under government protection. Under the leadership of Hornaday as its first director, the American Bison Society launched a national campaign to raise funds to create wild bison reserves, stock them with bison from the Bronx Zoo and elsewhere, and educate the public about bison. In 1907, the ABS shipped 15 bison to the Wichita National Forest and Game Preserve in Oklahoma by cart and rail. This was the first animal reintroduction in North America. In 1910, the ABS helped buy the nucleus herd for the National Bison Range, Montana, and in 1913, the ABS donated 14 bison to Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. Counting on the successful reproduction of the species, the ABS considered their work done and disbanded the organization in 1935.

In 2005, the Wildlife Conservation Society relaunched the American Bison Society to secure the ecological future of bison in North America.

Extent

2.0 Linear Feet (5 Hollinger boxes)

5.98 Cubic Feet (12 flat boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection contains incoming and outgoing correspondence from William T. Hornaday's tenure as founding President of the American Bison Society (ABS), scrapbooks and photograph albums regarding the ABS compiled by Hornaday, and two scrapbooks on bison and antelope censuses compiled by M. Hall McAllister. Also included are subject files, clippings, reference matter, and subscription lists for the Montana National Bison Herd, established in 1909, largely through Hornaday’s efforts.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series:

Series 1
Correspondence, 1906-1909, arranged alphabetically within three subseries: (1A) Correspondence, 1906-1908 May 1 (1B) Correspondence, 1908 May 2-1908 July 6 (1C) Correspondence, 1908 July 7-1909 March 15
Series 2
Subject files, 1905-1934
Series 3
Publications, photographs, scrapbooks, and clippings, 1905-1934

Acquisition Information

Internal transfer.

Title
Guide to the Records of American Bison Society President William T. Hornaday, 1905-1934
Status
Published
Author
Finding aid prepared by Original collection description from Guide to the Archives of the New York Zoological Society, compiled by Terry Collins and Steven P. Johnson, 1982.
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Wildlife Conservation Society Archives Repository

Contact:
WCS Library/Archives
2300 Southern Blvd
Bronx New York 10460 United States