Wolves

On this date in 1910, an article appeared in the Oakes Times regarding the State Auditor’s view on the state wolf bounty, which had been in place since 1897. The auditor, D.K. Brightbill, was of the opinion that the bounty should be repealed as it was no longer practical for the state to hold such an act.

In 1891 the New Ulm Weekly reported that wolves had become troublesome. Sheep owners were especially concerned. On this date in 1899, the Oakes Republican…

Coyotes, known in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as “prairie wolves,” were considered merely a nuisance in the days of the overland trails.…

It can be confusing to read, in documents of early prairie settlement, references to “prairie wolves.” The creature of note is no more a wolf than a…