The Project to Reclaim William Hornaday's American Bison Group
~ A LOOK BACK, AND AHEAD ~
~ A LOOK BACK, AND AHEAD ~
Reflecting the Sublime: The Rebirth of an American Icon (2013) traces the historical transformation of William Temple Hornaday's storied American Bison Group from a memorial of loss, to an icon of possibility.
This site extension -- an adjunct to the book -- is a primary source for more comprehensive and detailed information about the trend-setting display group. The book and this Web site pursue the story of the Bison Group from its conception and creation in the late-1880s, through its improbable rescue and restoration a century later, to its ultimate symbolic and spiritual reunification with living bison today. Together, the documentary and online resources presented here provide public access to the full story of the collection, reclamation and artistic interpretation of the Bison Group, the nation's original symbol for all bison.
Deep background on the early search for specimens from the original Group, and the project to physically restore and return them to public display, is documented in a preliminary article entitled, "William Hornaday's Bitter Mission: The Mysterious Journey of the Last Wild Bison" (1991).
Documents, photographs and texts pertaining to the Smithsonian Institution's 1886 Hunt for Buffalo -- the expedition during which specimens for the Bison Group were collected in then-Montana Territory -- are available on this site extension. Included here are scans of Hornaday's field journals for the Spring and Summer hunts, and selected "real-time" images from his personal sketch pad.
Post-hunt, in Washington, D.C., Hornaday's ensuing labors as the Smithsonian's Chief Taxidermist occupied the years 1886 through 1888, culminating with the unveiling of the Bison Group on March 10 of the latter year. The long-awaited debut of this new-departure in museum display unleashed a wave of public excitement across the nation and it's capitol. In years following, awed millions of visitors were drawn to the Museum of Natural History to gape at the famed bison 'family' -- then-considered the last of their wild kind. More detail about Hornaday's artistic talents and methods as a major interpreter of natural history subjects is provided on this site.
Also presented here, is the story of the re-discovery and documentation of the main base camp of the Smithsonian Expedition for Buffalo. Hornaday Camp -- now a National Historic Site -- is the actual location once used by William Hornaday and members of his 1886 expedition in the late-fall hunting, collection, and field-preparation of bison specimens later incorporated in the group display. The site itself, in remote eastern Montana, is now an established part of our national heritage relating to the Hornaday era.
Photographs and other materials pertinent to the discovery of William Hornaday's celebrated "hidden message" form a special part of this site extension. The message itself -- an anguished cry found penned in Hornaday's own hand -- pleads for care of the specimens contained in his display group. It was discovered in 1957 concealed beneath the feet of the Group's mounted bison. Published accounts of this cryptic note appeared repeatedly in decades following its discovery, and supplied the initial impetus behind the author's search for the specimens themselves.
In sum, these resources open to the public the complete story of the bison as embodied by our national bison tableau.
This site extension -- an adjunct to the book -- is a primary source for more comprehensive and detailed information about the trend-setting display group. The book and this Web site pursue the story of the Bison Group from its conception and creation in the late-1880s, through its improbable rescue and restoration a century later, to its ultimate symbolic and spiritual reunification with living bison today. Together, the documentary and online resources presented here provide public access to the full story of the collection, reclamation and artistic interpretation of the Bison Group, the nation's original symbol for all bison.
Deep background on the early search for specimens from the original Group, and the project to physically restore and return them to public display, is documented in a preliminary article entitled, "William Hornaday's Bitter Mission: The Mysterious Journey of the Last Wild Bison" (1991).
Documents, photographs and texts pertaining to the Smithsonian Institution's 1886 Hunt for Buffalo -- the expedition during which specimens for the Bison Group were collected in then-Montana Territory -- are available on this site extension. Included here are scans of Hornaday's field journals for the Spring and Summer hunts, and selected "real-time" images from his personal sketch pad.
Post-hunt, in Washington, D.C., Hornaday's ensuing labors as the Smithsonian's Chief Taxidermist occupied the years 1886 through 1888, culminating with the unveiling of the Bison Group on March 10 of the latter year. The long-awaited debut of this new-departure in museum display unleashed a wave of public excitement across the nation and it's capitol. In years following, awed millions of visitors were drawn to the Museum of Natural History to gape at the famed bison 'family' -- then-considered the last of their wild kind. More detail about Hornaday's artistic talents and methods as a major interpreter of natural history subjects is provided on this site.
Also presented here, is the story of the re-discovery and documentation of the main base camp of the Smithsonian Expedition for Buffalo. Hornaday Camp -- now a National Historic Site -- is the actual location once used by William Hornaday and members of his 1886 expedition in the late-fall hunting, collection, and field-preparation of bison specimens later incorporated in the group display. The site itself, in remote eastern Montana, is now an established part of our national heritage relating to the Hornaday era.
Photographs and other materials pertinent to the discovery of William Hornaday's celebrated "hidden message" form a special part of this site extension. The message itself -- an anguished cry found penned in Hornaday's own hand -- pleads for care of the specimens contained in his display group. It was discovered in 1957 concealed beneath the feet of the Group's mounted bison. Published accounts of this cryptic note appeared repeatedly in decades following its discovery, and supplied the initial impetus behind the author's search for the specimens themselves.
In sum, these resources open to the public the complete story of the bison as embodied by our national bison tableau.
INCEPTION OF THE PROJECT
The thread of interest which led to publication of this book began in 1987 with the author's review of an extensive body of historical and scientific literature on the wild American bison. Topics including bison history, bison ecology, and the evolution of contemporary American bison and their ancient forebears were examined closely over several years, effectively spanning past, present and future dimensions of the bison species.
Early-on, questions emerged: Why -- almost alone among a diverse American fauna -- is this "flagship" mammal essentially missing across what remains of its native landscape? This, above all, was the question which arose during the review. It seemed as if the American bison -- raised from the pit of near-extinction after the turn of the twentieth century -- was intentionally denied fuller expression of its wild genetic and behavioral potentials. But Why? And, crucially, What, if anything, might be done about it?
In decades following this academic review, these and other questions triggered several related projects, both literary and practical. Collectively, these were aspirational pursuits, given their common concern with the as-yet unrealized future of this most charismatic, yet numerically-diminished, animal.
And, What about the future of wild bison? As it turned out, of course, the species' eventual "extinction" was not actual -- as Hornaday had feared -- but ecological in nature. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the species today is correctly listed as "Near Threatened." Across nearly all of their native range, wild American bison are and remain functionally-extinct.
Now, decades after tugging those first threads of the bison story, the questions which catalyzed my early work have culminated in the current book. Findings contained in the book support an effort to address troubling environmental issues publicly, in a serious and lasting way. It is hoped that the original research and conceptual work composing the book and related publications meets the goal of providing a history-rich, science-based means for integrating lingering questions about the ecological past and future of American bison as wildlife.
A list of references and suggested readings is provided on this site for viewers pursuing deeper insight into the complex issues involving the history and ongoing conservation of the American bison.
Early-on, questions emerged: Why -- almost alone among a diverse American fauna -- is this "flagship" mammal essentially missing across what remains of its native landscape? This, above all, was the question which arose during the review. It seemed as if the American bison -- raised from the pit of near-extinction after the turn of the twentieth century -- was intentionally denied fuller expression of its wild genetic and behavioral potentials. But Why? And, crucially, What, if anything, might be done about it?
In decades following this academic review, these and other questions triggered several related projects, both literary and practical. Collectively, these were aspirational pursuits, given their common concern with the as-yet unrealized future of this most charismatic, yet numerically-diminished, animal.
And, What about the future of wild bison? As it turned out, of course, the species' eventual "extinction" was not actual -- as Hornaday had feared -- but ecological in nature. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the species today is correctly listed as "Near Threatened." Across nearly all of their native range, wild American bison are and remain functionally-extinct.
Now, decades after tugging those first threads of the bison story, the questions which catalyzed my early work have culminated in the current book. Findings contained in the book support an effort to address troubling environmental issues publicly, in a serious and lasting way. It is hoped that the original research and conceptual work composing the book and related publications meets the goal of providing a history-rich, science-based means for integrating lingering questions about the ecological past and future of American bison as wildlife.
A list of references and suggested readings is provided on this site for viewers pursuing deeper insight into the complex issues involving the history and ongoing conservation of the American bison.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Upon publication of Reflecting the Sublime, one prospective buyer remarked that the initial price of the volume seemed high for such a slim book -- essentially a "pamphlet," as he called it. This would be true if books were simply sold by the pound, like fish. Others, though, have found the book well-illustrated and substantively large in terms of content. "The book...is nicely done and bears out the oft-repeated adage that good things come in small (or brief) packages," wrote John Rumm, PhD., former Director of the Curatorial Division, and Curator of Public History at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, in Cody, Wyoming.
Dr. Rumm's observations seem persuasive. The story contained in this book is complex. Its creation required completion of not just one, but no less than eight major sub-projects, carried forth simultaneously over more than 25 years. These include: 1), the literature review itself; 2), an initial two-year search to locate all six members of the original specimen group; 3), lengthy archival searches to establish the specimens' provenance, and to document their legal ownership; 4), physical acquisition, transport and storage of all original group members; 5), fund-raising to conserve the specimens, and to build a museum wing in which to permanently house and display them; 6), restoration of all six full-body bison specimens to the highest taxidermic standard; and 7), physical re-creation of the Bison Group display, and its formal dedication to public view. Production and publication of this book -- the 8th sub-project documenting the entire effort -- was achieved privately, by the author, between 2010 and 2013.
These and other projects -- including this Web site and its current extension -- were completed between 1988 and today, with guidance by the author, and with the assistance of many people and groups.
Dr. Rumm's observations seem persuasive. The story contained in this book is complex. Its creation required completion of not just one, but no less than eight major sub-projects, carried forth simultaneously over more than 25 years. These include: 1), the literature review itself; 2), an initial two-year search to locate all six members of the original specimen group; 3), lengthy archival searches to establish the specimens' provenance, and to document their legal ownership; 4), physical acquisition, transport and storage of all original group members; 5), fund-raising to conserve the specimens, and to build a museum wing in which to permanently house and display them; 6), restoration of all six full-body bison specimens to the highest taxidermic standard; and 7), physical re-creation of the Bison Group display, and its formal dedication to public view. Production and publication of this book -- the 8th sub-project documenting the entire effort -- was achieved privately, by the author, between 2010 and 2013.
These and other projects -- including this Web site and its current extension -- were completed between 1988 and today, with guidance by the author, and with the assistance of many people and groups.
PROGRESS OF THE 2013 EDITION
Since its release, Reflecting the Sublime has garnered approval on several fronts. It has appeared on retail shelves of museums of natural and western history and art across the American West, and in visitor centers of institutions including the National Zoological Park, national bison ranges, and bison-related archaeological sites.
Smithsonian museums and affiliates -- including the U.S. National Museum of Natural History, in Washington, D.C; the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, in Lawrence; the National Museum of Wildlife Art, in Jackson, Wyoming; the Draper Natural History Museum at the Cody, Wyoming, Center of the West; and the Museum of Science and Nature, in Denver, Colorado -- occasionally have carried the book. In Montana, the state Historical Society, in Helena; Museum of the Rockies, in Bozeman; Museum of the Northern Great Plains, in Fort Benton; the Charles M. Russell Museum, in Great Falls; and various private outlets, continue to offer the book in their retail stores. The book is also available for purchase on this Web site.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Along the way, this accessible book has garnered personal and institutional recognition by a diverse group of lay-people, environmentalists, and museum professionals alike.
A documentary Web page (https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_14090) appears in the History of the Smithsonian Catalog, Smithsonian Institution Archives.
And a scholarly review by Dr. Karen Wonders -- a leading expert in the history and philosophy of museum display -- appears in the 01 May, 2015 issue of the Oxford Journal of Environmental History.
Additionally, the book's title is listed in ISIS -- the University of Chicago-based History of Science Society's Current Bibliography of the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences, for 2015:
(https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/685709)
Second-party acknowledgements and citations of Reflecting the Sublime are numerous and continuing in books, journals, magazines, newspapers and other periodical literature.
LECTURES: Between 2014 and 2016, the author prepared a PowerPoint presentation augmenting information contained in the book. "The (un)Natural History of William Hornaday's American Bison Group," as this scholarly talk is entitled, examines the significance of the historic specimen group through the lens of a mounting wave of species extinctions now impacting the globe. The talk was delivered at venues in Montana and Wyoming.
Iterations of the talk have featured in opening ceremonies for museum exhibitions and speakers' series across Montana, including The Harmless Hunter, Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls; the Elise Donahue Lectures of the American West, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, and other venues including the Montana Natural History Center, Missoula; First Peoples' Buffalo Jump, near Ulm; the Montana Historical Society, Helena; and the Draper Natural History Museum, in Cody, Wyoming (access talk, above).
In July, 2014, "(un)Natural History..." premiered in-the-round -- adjacent to the restored Bison Group itself -- for assembled members and guests of the River and Plains Society, at the Group's permanent quarters in Fort Benton's Museum of the Northern Great Plains.
Together, the lecture, the book, and its author's early works tell the full story of America's Bison Group, revealing one of the most poignant episodes in the history of American wildlife conservation. With the Web site, the combined works interpret the relevance of Hornaday’s buffalo group today, in an era when bison themselves enjoy a “renaissance” in the popular imagination. In this way, the venerable Bison Group achieves renewed standing as our national icon for the protection and conservation of this ecologically-important species.
FILM: In 2014 and 2015, noted British naturalist, author and film documentarian Steve Nicholls produced a made-for-television docu-drama about the natural history of the American bison. The feature was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution, and produced for Smithsonian Channel by Bristol, UK-based Warehouse 51 Productions. The film, entitled "The Last Buffalo," was released in December, 2016. Among topics addressed in the film is the work of Chief Taxidermist William T. Hornaday, in the mid-1880s, for the U.S. National Museum, in Washington, D.C. The film focuses specifically on Hornaday's achievements in saving the American bison from extinction, and in creating for his museum a national symbol for the species: The American Bison Group. As in Reflecting the Sublime, the memory and meaning of this iconic specimen group form a sub-plot in the film. In filmed portrayals of Hornaday and the historic bison tableau, Director Nicholls draws inspiration and substance directly from the pages of this book.
MUSIC: In conjunction with the 2013 publication of Wild Ones -- Jon Mooallem's widely-read account of America's ruminations on threatened wildlife -- the Portland, Oregon musical group Black Prairie released a soundtrack referencing the hidden message of William Hornaday. "Dear Sir -- Most Sincerely, William Temple Hornaday" gives plaintive voice to the tragic loss of the American bison, and to Hornaday's anguished plea-from-the-grave, urging the safekeeping of his hard-won specimens.
Smithsonian museums and affiliates -- including the U.S. National Museum of Natural History, in Washington, D.C; the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, in Lawrence; the National Museum of Wildlife Art, in Jackson, Wyoming; the Draper Natural History Museum at the Cody, Wyoming, Center of the West; and the Museum of Science and Nature, in Denver, Colorado -- occasionally have carried the book. In Montana, the state Historical Society, in Helena; Museum of the Rockies, in Bozeman; Museum of the Northern Great Plains, in Fort Benton; the Charles M. Russell Museum, in Great Falls; and various private outlets, continue to offer the book in their retail stores. The book is also available for purchase on this Web site.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Along the way, this accessible book has garnered personal and institutional recognition by a diverse group of lay-people, environmentalists, and museum professionals alike.
A documentary Web page (https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_14090) appears in the History of the Smithsonian Catalog, Smithsonian Institution Archives.
And a scholarly review by Dr. Karen Wonders -- a leading expert in the history and philosophy of museum display -- appears in the 01 May, 2015 issue of the Oxford Journal of Environmental History.
Additionally, the book's title is listed in ISIS -- the University of Chicago-based History of Science Society's Current Bibliography of the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences, for 2015:
(https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/685709)
Second-party acknowledgements and citations of Reflecting the Sublime are numerous and continuing in books, journals, magazines, newspapers and other periodical literature.
LECTURES: Between 2014 and 2016, the author prepared a PowerPoint presentation augmenting information contained in the book. "The (un)Natural History of William Hornaday's American Bison Group," as this scholarly talk is entitled, examines the significance of the historic specimen group through the lens of a mounting wave of species extinctions now impacting the globe. The talk was delivered at venues in Montana and Wyoming.
Iterations of the talk have featured in opening ceremonies for museum exhibitions and speakers' series across Montana, including The Harmless Hunter, Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls; the Elise Donahue Lectures of the American West, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, and other venues including the Montana Natural History Center, Missoula; First Peoples' Buffalo Jump, near Ulm; the Montana Historical Society, Helena; and the Draper Natural History Museum, in Cody, Wyoming (access talk, above).
In July, 2014, "(un)Natural History..." premiered in-the-round -- adjacent to the restored Bison Group itself -- for assembled members and guests of the River and Plains Society, at the Group's permanent quarters in Fort Benton's Museum of the Northern Great Plains.
Together, the lecture, the book, and its author's early works tell the full story of America's Bison Group, revealing one of the most poignant episodes in the history of American wildlife conservation. With the Web site, the combined works interpret the relevance of Hornaday’s buffalo group today, in an era when bison themselves enjoy a “renaissance” in the popular imagination. In this way, the venerable Bison Group achieves renewed standing as our national icon for the protection and conservation of this ecologically-important species.
FILM: In 2014 and 2015, noted British naturalist, author and film documentarian Steve Nicholls produced a made-for-television docu-drama about the natural history of the American bison. The feature was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution, and produced for Smithsonian Channel by Bristol, UK-based Warehouse 51 Productions. The film, entitled "The Last Buffalo," was released in December, 2016. Among topics addressed in the film is the work of Chief Taxidermist William T. Hornaday, in the mid-1880s, for the U.S. National Museum, in Washington, D.C. The film focuses specifically on Hornaday's achievements in saving the American bison from extinction, and in creating for his museum a national symbol for the species: The American Bison Group. As in Reflecting the Sublime, the memory and meaning of this iconic specimen group form a sub-plot in the film. In filmed portrayals of Hornaday and the historic bison tableau, Director Nicholls draws inspiration and substance directly from the pages of this book.
MUSIC: In conjunction with the 2013 publication of Wild Ones -- Jon Mooallem's widely-read account of America's ruminations on threatened wildlife -- the Portland, Oregon musical group Black Prairie released a soundtrack referencing the hidden message of William Hornaday. "Dear Sir -- Most Sincerely, William Temple Hornaday" gives plaintive voice to the tragic loss of the American bison, and to Hornaday's anguished plea-from-the-grave, urging the safekeeping of his hard-won specimens.
THE STORY CONTINUES
Since publication of Reflecting the Sublime, in 2013, additional documents, drawings and period photographs have come to light through subsequent research at Smithsonian Archives and the Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C. Newly-uncovered works include journals and field sketches created in 1886 by members of the Smithsonian Expedition for Buffalo, as well as related photographs and artistic images once used in public expositions, and in museums, across the country. These materials add greatly to our knowledge of the 1886 Expedition for Buffalo; of the collection, preparation and extended uses of specimens obtained; and of the historical significance of these events and documents for the developing nation. As these new finds indicate, the story told here continues to unfold. It is a pleasure now to provide public access to the rich detail contained in these previously unpublished materials.