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Scotty Philip: The Scottish-Born Cattleman Who Built a Herd of 1,000 Buffalo

Scottish-born Scotty Philip built a South Dakota cattle outfit, lost most of a herd to blizzards, and became the man credited with saving the buffalo.

Who was Scotty Philip?

James Philip, known across the Dakotas as Scotty, was born on April 30, 1858, in Morayshire, Scotland, and died on July 23, 1911, at age 53. He emigrated to the United States in 1874, at 15, and settled first in the Scottish farming colony of Victoria, Kansas, according to the Wikipedia biography of Scotty Philip.

He is remembered for two careers that overlapped. One was cattle, which made him a large rancher in South Dakota. The other was bison, which made him the central figure in one of the first private efforts to keep the species from vanishing.

From Black Hills prospector to rancher

HistoryNet reports that Philip took the name Scotty while working on a ranch near Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory, in 1875. He prospected for gold in the Black Hills, doing placer mining until the cavalry evicted him, and worked as a rancher, teamster, guide, scout and dispatch rider around Fort Laramie and Fort Robinson.

In 1879 he married Sarah Larribee at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. In 1881 the couple settled a ranch in Stanley County, Dakota Territory, east of present-day Philip. Wikipedia notes that non-Native ranching was illegal there because the area was part of the Great Sioux Indian Reservation, and the Philips could ranch there because Sarah was Native American.

How many cattle did Scotty Philip run?

Numbers differ by source. HistoryNet's profile of Philip says he ran about 20,000 head in the 1890s, after blizzards in 1886 and 1887 killed about 80 percent of his herd. The National Buffalo Foundation says his ranch grew to more than 40,000 cattle and employed 65 hands at its peak. Both are reported figures, and the difference may reflect different years or different ways of counting.

After the Great Sioux Reservation was broken up in March 1889, he bought land north of Fort Pierre and leased land on the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation. HistoryNet credits him with an artesian well for irrigation and with using natural gas for heating, and says he made cattle-buying trips to Texas and Mexico.

Saving the buffalo: the Dupree herd and the Buffalo Pasture

In 1881 Fred Dupree rescued five bison calves from a hunt on the Grand River, according to Wikipedia. After Pete Dupree died in 1899, Philip acquired the herd. Sources differ on the details: Wikipedia and the National Buffalo Foundation say 74 head bought after the 1899 death, while HistoryNet says he bought about 60 buffalo from the Dupree estate in 1901.

The National Buffalo Foundation's Hall of Fame page for Scotty Philip says he completed the first enclosed bison pasture near Fort Pierre in 1901 and moved a herd of 74 about 100 miles to it. In 1906, HistoryNet says, Congress set aside 3,500 acres of public land next to the pasture, rented to Philip for $50 a year exclusively for pasturing native buffalo.

The Key to Philip's Success

Philip's record combines large-scale cattle ranching with a conservation effort carried out on private land. Some of the choices were practical, some costly.

The costs are in the record too. Blizzards killed about 80 percent of his herd in 1886 and 1887, and his ranching on the Great Sioux Reservation was possible only through his wife's status. He also had crossbred animals killed to keep the herd purebred, and he sold some bison to ranchers who raised them for meat.

  • Start with small herds and grow. He began with a few cows and built an outfit that ran thousands of cattle.
  • Use family ties and local knowledge. His marriage to Sarah Larribee gave the family grazing rights on reservation land.
  • Recover from disaster. After the 1886 and 1887 blizzards destroyed most of his herd, he rebuilt and was running about 20,000 head in the 1890s.
  • Fence and protect the animals. He built the Buffalo Pasture near Fort Pierre and leased 3,500 acres of public land beside it.
  • Keep the line pure. He had crossbred cattalo killed because he wanted only purebred bison.
  • Make the herd pay. He sold bison to parks, zoos and ranchers, helping spread the species.

A herd of nearly 1,000 and a funeral

By 1911 the herd had grown to nearly 1,000 head, reported at the time as the largest in the world. Custer State Park bought 36 head from his herd, according to the National Buffalo Foundation, and Wikipedia says bison from the herd helped restock herds across the United States.

Philip died suddenly on July 23, 1911, of a cerebral hemorrhage and was buried in a family cemetery near the Buffalo Pasture. Newspapers reported that bison came down from the hills during the funeral procession.

Honors, legacy and learning more

The town of Philip, South Dakota, is named for him. He was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1958 and named a hall of fame honoree by the National Buffalo Foundation in 1982. He served in the South Dakota State Senate as a Democrat from 1899 to 1900, representing the 25th district, according to Wikipedia. A short state history page, from the South Dakota State Historical Society, adds that he worked as an army scout and began ranching in 1881.

For more on ranch and range history, farm.FM has a ranching section, and a farm.FM story about buffalo and South Dakota ranching covers related ground.

Timeline

  1. 1858Born April 30 in Morayshire, Scotland
  2. 1874Emigrates to the United States at age 15
  3. 1879Marries Sarah Larribee at Fort Robinson, Nebraska
  4. 1881Settles a ranch in Stanley County, Dakota Territory
  5. 1886Blizzards in 1886 and 1887 kill about 80 percent of his herd
  6. 1898Elected to the South Dakota State Senate as a Democrat; serves 1899 to 1900
  7. 1899After Pete Dupree dies, Philip acquires the Dupree buffalo (some sources say 1901)
  8. 1901Completes the buffalo pasture near Fort Pierre
  9. 1906Congress sets aside 3,500 acres next to the pasture for his herd
  10. 1911Dies July 23; the herd stands at nearly 1,000

Frequently asked questions

Who was Scotty Philip?

James Scotty Philip (1858 to 1911) was a Scottish-born South Dakota cattleman and state senator who built a herd of nearly 1,000 buffalo and is credited with helping save the species.

How many buffalo did Scotty Philip have?

Sources say he bought the Dupree herd, reported as 60 to 74 head, around 1899 to 1901, and that it grew to about 1,000 by his death in 1911, the largest in the world at that time.

What is Scotty Philip known for?

He is known for his South Dakota cattle ranching and for preserving bison in a fenced pasture near Fort Pierre. The town of Philip, South Dakota, is named for him.

When was Scotty Philip inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners?

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum inducted him in 1958. The National Buffalo Foundation also honored him in its hall of fame in 1982.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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