Bison
John Dooly, owner of the island in 1893, with the help of William Glassman brought a herd of twelve bison to Antelope Island. At the time American Bison were nearly extinct in North America, having suffered years of over hunting and extermination during the settlement of the American West. Biologists estimate that as many as 60 million bison roamed the western United States prior to the lands being settled by Anglo Americans. These bison once inhabited the grasslands of North America in massive herds; their range stretched across most of what is now the United States, from Florida and New York in the east and south to the Texas/Mexico border and the Yukon Territory in Canada to the south and north and all the way west to the Pacific Coast. The Bison were an important resource for the native tribes of the western United States. The United States Government knew this and began a campaign to rid the plains of the Bison, thereby depriving the Native Americans of their most prized natural resource and making them dependent on handouts from the government. Without the Bison the Indians were forced to "seek peace". Some conservationists saw that destroying the Bison population was detrimental to the future of the nation and in 1874 Congress voted to stop the government sponsored slaughter. By the 1890s approximately 800 bison remained.
Dooly purchased the bison after Glassman had failed to establish a bison preserve on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. Glassman had hope to attract tourists to the area with some of the few remaining bison in the United States at the time. His venture failed and he was forced to sell some of the herd at auction. Dooly bought the bison with the intention of supplementing his income with private bison hunts. At approximately the same time a herd of elk was brought to the island. The elk did not last very long due the island being a poor habitat for elk. However, due to the lack of a natural predator, the Gray Wolf, the bison thrived on the island and the herd rapidly increased in size.
The island was opened for bison hunts beginning in 1896. The hunting of Bison on the island was limited to those who could afford the $200 requested by Dooly and his ancestors. Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey and 1920s sports writer Robert Edgren were just two of the celebrities that came to the island to shoot a bison. Bison hunting continued on the island until 1926 when the final "Big Buffalo Hunt" eliminated all but a few of the bison. Public sentiment changed during the 1920s and activists began to call for the protection of the herd on Antelope Island.
The hunt of 1926 was covered by Time. A herd of approximately 300-400 Bison was culled to about 50 to a large group of hunters on horseback with modern rifles. John Dooly had sold the herd to A. H. Leonard in 1924. Leonard intended to sell the Bison to zoos, but was not able to corral them. He next tried to offer the island and the Antelope Island Bison Herd to the United States Department of the Interior. Leonard had hoped that a national park would be established on the island therefore preserving the herd. Time Magazine cites "Congressional apathy" for the lack of a land transfer. Leonard was one again forced to change his business plan. This time he wanted to expand the cattle ranching on the island and to do this the number of bison needed to be reduced. Leonard announced a that a hunt would be held in the fall of 1926. The hunt took place in November, but not without protests from around the nation. The New York World and other newspapers of the day tried to arouse public sentiment against the hunt. Utah governor George Dern received formal protests of the hunt from the American Humane Society, Massachusetts governor Alvan T. Fuller and Boston mayor Malcolm Nichols. Governor Dern declined to prevent the hunt stating, "Antelope Island and the buffalo herd are privately owned." The hunt took place with noted participants Ralph and Edward Ammerman of Scranton, Pennsylvania and big game hunter J. O. Beebe of Omaha, Nebraska.
The Antelope Island Bison Herd and the island remained in private hands until 1969 when the northern 2,000 acres (810 ha) of the island were purchased by the state of Utah. The southern end of the island was acquired in 1981, granting the entire heard protected status on Antelope Island State Park. In 1986, park rangers saw the need to begin controlling the Bison population to prevent overgrazing and disease. The first roundup was held in 1987 and it has since become an annual event that brings in revenue by way of the sale of excess bison and tourist dollars brought in by spectators.
Read more about this topic: Antelope Island State Park, Wildlife