Charging angrily into history

It was a warm summer day more than 145 years ago that townsfolk in Howard discoverd a pair of buffalo — previously thought extinct — had come to town. The story of how those "beasts" were chased Main Street until being gunned down by local pursuers has become legend — and likely a little embellished along the way.

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Local News

August 16, 2021 - 9:51 AM

A buffalo, much like the one pictured here at Sefker Farms near Moran, was killed in Howard after being pursued by the townspeople (1875). Photo by Trevor Hoag / Iola Register

It was a beast born from the depths of hell …

At least that’s what the editor of the Howard Courant said of the infamous buffalo that found its way onto the city’s streets in the summer of 1875.

It all began on a warm Sunday morning, folks recalled, when Frank Dewey sent his 12-year-old grandson, Van Flagler, to tend the cattle.

Not long after leaving for his chores, however, the boy returned looking as though he’d seen a ghost.

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