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on the Medicine, a tributary of the Republican River. Hunting, trapping and trading with the Indians when they were friendly, and fighting his way when they were on the warpath, was his life.

Friendship With Noted Frontiersmen

While hunting and trapping over a wide range of country, he became warm friends with Texas Jack, Wild Bill Hickok, Johnny Nelson, the Squaw man, Jim Lauderdale, Monty and Hank Clifford, Arthur Roff, and others. While hunting buffalo and furnishing meat for the soldiers on guard during the building of the Union Pacific in 1868-69, he became well acquainted with Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, and the well-known army officers at the frontier posts.

With Dukes and Earls from Europe

When in 1872 Grand Duke Alexis of Russia came to this country, General Phil Sheridan brought him out to Fort McPherson, and then out to Carver's country where they enjoyed a fine hunt.

In 1874 The Earl of Dunraven came over from England for a buffalo hunt. Carver and Texas Jack were in Fort McPherson to meet him and took him out to Carver's camp, where he had the time of his life hunting buffalo, elk and antelope. He simply went wild over the abundance of game, and promised to return the next year. This hunt is mentioned in his book "The Great Divide" which he wrote the following winter.

True to his promise, the Earl returned the next year bringing with him Dr. G. Kingsley, and they had several days of hunting. The Earl finally killed an old buffalo bull and wishing to have the head mounted, they decided to cache it for the time being as they were going west to Colorado to hunt bears. From Colorado, the Earl went to New York, and Texas Jack sent word to Carver to bring the head to Fort McPherson, to

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John Y. Nelson and "Hank" C. Clifford were famous squaw men married into the Sioux tribe. They founded Stockville and helped organize Frontier county in 1877. Clifford was the first sheriff and Nelson the first surveyor of that county, although the latter knew nothing whatever about surveying. These men and their Indian families migrated with the Ogallala to the White river valley in Northwest Nebraska and later into South Dakota where their descendants yet live as members of the Sioux nation. I knew both of them in the years 1888-1897 at Chadron. John Y. Nelson was the most remarkable liar in a frontier region famous for liars. His lying was of a picturesque nature. A life of John Y. Nelson, entitled "Fifty Years on the Trail, A True Story of Western Life," written by Harrington O'Reilly was printed in New York in 1889. It is an interesting transcript of Nelson's life, but does not do justice to the remarkable gift of fabrication possessed by Mr. Nelson, the envy of all the fabricators in the Northwest Nebraska region when I lived there.

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Fort McPherson, a famous strategic military post about 90 miles west of Fort Kearny was first established as Cottonwood Post about 1863. It was named Ft. McPherson after General J. B. McPherson, Union Officer killed at Atlanta July 2, 1864. The post was located on a small plateau at the most dangerous point on the Oregon Trail where the bluffs and deep ravines came close to the Platte river leaving only a narrow strip for the passage of travellers on that highway. Indians could here best conceal themselves and attack trains. The post was abandoned in 1866. All that remains of it now is the outlines of the parade ground shaded by splendid rows of Elm trees. The United States Military Cemetery of Ft. McPherson one half mile northwest is a famous historic spot and the only military cemetery in Nebraska. The site of the old fort should be annexed to the military cemetery and made a historic park.

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be shipped to New York. When Carver went to get the head, he found it had been torn to pieces by wolves and completely ruined.

Carver's ingenuity proved equal to the occasion. After two hours' hunting, the Doctor was on his way to the Fort with the head of an immense buffalo bull shot by himself. When he reached the Fort, Texas Jack remarked, "Doc, that head looks mighty fresh and it's queer that the head of a dead buffalo could grow so fast." When the story was told, he laughed heartily, as he prepared to ship the head to the Earl. Several years later when Dr. Carver was shooting in London, he was entertained by the Earl of Dunraven, who, pointing to the head as that of the animal he killed, asked the Doctor if he did not remember it. With the quiet smile characteristic of the Doctor, he replied that he thought he did. Later at a breakfast given by Sir John Ashley, Carver was asked to tell some of his funny or exciting experiences on the plains. So he told of Dunraven's buffalo hunt and of shipping the head Carver had killed. The gentlemen had a lot of fun with the Earl, but he said, "I am more proud now that I know Carver killed it, than if I had slain the animal myself."

Carver's Champion Buffalo Hunt

Carver estimated that he killed in the neighborhood of thirty thousand buffaloes and held the title of "Champion Buffalo Hunter of the Plains'' gained in the following manner: In 1873 the much disputed question of who was the champion buffalo hunter of the plains resulted in a match for a stake of $500 between Dr. Carver and "Buffalo Curly". Many had claimed to be champion hunter, but no one had sufficient courage and confidence in his ability to put up his money and shoot against Carver up to this time. The contest was held one bright, cold day in the winter of 1873 in the presence of a large number of trappers, hide-hunters, Indians, soldiers and visitors.

The buffalo and hide-hunters were all camped on Frenchman Creek. (A spirit of rivalry existed between the hide hunters and Dr. Carver's party, for the reason that Carver hunted the buffaloes on horseback and ran them as long as his horse could keep within shooting distance, while the headhunters used quite different tactics and hunted on foot. "Still hunting" did not frighten the buffaloes so badly, and the clever hunter could often get the animals to "mill", that is, to walk around in a circle, or "hunch up" as each leader was shot, and in this manner, kill great numbers, shooting from behind a bunch of grass, or from the head of a canyon.)

The Great Frontier Camp at Mud Springs

Carver was the first in camp in the fall at the Mud Springs on Frenchman Creek, and did not propose to be run out by headhunters; therefore a very bitter feeling was engendered, and

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Mud Springs. Much correspondence by the Historical Society trying to locate the exact site. Senator John F. Cordeal of McCook suggests a point 17 miles west of Imperial. Chas. W. Meeker of Imperial suggests two sites, one on section 27, township 6, range 39, in Chase county; the other on section 20, township 6, range 40. Chase county. J. T. Ryan of Wauneta suggests section 1, township 2, range 36, in Dundy county. The site on 20-6-40, called the McGuire Slew, fits the description of Dr. Carver better than the others and I have adopted it and so marked it upon the map.

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continued for a long time. "Big Jack", a murderer and fugitive from justice, and Buffalo Curly were at the head of a hide-hunting outfit. Both were desperate men with black records. Curly came from the south and had followed the southern herds for three years. His reputation as a horse-back shot was the best on the southern plains. Both outfits were under contract, at the time the match was made, to a Mr. Byfield, who lived on the Republican River, near the mouth of Red Willow. The Carver outfit had been more successful than the hide-hunters, and so, when payday came, the hide-hunters held a meeting and came over to the Carver camp with a proposition to shoot a match for $500 and the championship of the plains. Conditions: the man killing the most buffalo on one run, that is, shooting until the horse could run no longer, was to win the money and title of "Champion Buffalo Hunter of the Plains". A referee was chosen by mutual consent, and he was to select two men to act as judges. In case they could not agree, then the referee's decision should be final. Two weeks' time was allowed to get the horses in condition. Teams were at once dispatched to Plum Creek on the Union Pacific, to get horse feed and extra ammunition. The wagons going down the Republican unloaded, and in such a hurry, naturally caused all the hunters and trappers to ask qoestions, and it became known that big, popular Carver had found a rival from Texas, the report spread far and wide.

 Lieutenant  Schwatka and Soldiers from Ft. McPherson

The news of the proposed championship hunt reached Fort McPherson, and Lieut. Schwatka, with a company of soldiers and a number of ladies, came out into that wilderness of snow and ice, to see the most interesting and exciting shooting match of its character in the history of the world. The information also sped down the river and into the camp of the Pawnee, and north to White Clay Agency among the Sioux. As this hunt was to take place in the very heart of the Sioux and Pawnee hunting grounds, both tribes of Indians came by hundreds.

When the day arrived for the contest, one of the largest camps ever seen on the Frenchman had collected. The wildest picture ever painted could not equal the scene of the camp at Mud Springs. First came the Carver outfit, then the hide-hunters' camp; next were Lieut. Schwatka and his company of soldiers, who had their hands full to prevent the Sioux and Pawnees from killing each other; then the Pawnee camp. Close to the soldiers and on the side of the hill was the Sioux camp. Along the little rivulet of water running from the spring to the Frenchman were camped trappers, wolf poisoners and a collection of renegade Indians from the North.

Buffalo Herds Water on the Frenchman

The buffaloes always came early in the morning to drink, led by a cow. As they came slowly marching along toward the water, in great droves, that morning, their long fur coats were covered with frost which shone and glistened in the sun like small mountains of precious stones. At least eight hundred human beings saw that herd of buffaloes slowly coming over the plain, and grandly and unsuspiciously approach the water, halting every few minutes, looking and wondering if the large crowd of objects in the distance were another herd of buffaloes.

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