Glad to be back on the Train I settled down quickly for the overnight ride to Denver. My cold had worsened and the TV was giving out severe weather warnings - as I left the Magnolia in Omaha the flight crew of a cancelled Denver flight were checking in.
However, at breakfast I was very lucky to be sat next to a History Professor called John and as we watched the scenery change dramatically he passed on his detailed knowledge about Native American Indians, Prairie life and Buffalo!
The Prairie changes from long grassed to short grassed and was once the main feeding grounds of the Buffalo. The Buffalo was of course, the mainstay of the American Indian food stream. In this particular part of the World, John informed me, that meant the Cheyenne. John had actually lived with the Cheyenne tribe for 2 weeks some years back - wow!
Conditions out there are very harsh, particularly in Winter and the Buffalo had evolved to be hardy enough to survive.
Accidental crosses between Buffalo and Cattle were noticed as far back as 1749 in the southern English colonies of North America and after seeing thousands of cattle die in a Kansas blizzard in 1886, Charles 'Buffalo' Jones decided to cross the animals with the hope they could survive the harsh winters. He called the result "cattalo" - later renamed 'Beefalo'.
A USDA study showed beefalo meat, like bison meat, to be lower in fat and cholesterol. The association claims beefalo are better able to tolerate cold and need less assistance calving than cattle, while having domestic cattle's docile nature and fast growth rate; they are also thought to produce less damage to rangeland than cattle.
All well and good for Cattle, said John, but the result on the Buffalo herds has been catastrophic.
Most current buffalo herds are genetically polluted or partly crossbred with cattle. There are only four genetically unmixed American bison herds left and the crossbreeds are no longer able to sustain their survival on the great plains.
The other piece of interesting trivia that John passed on was about Tumbleweed - yes that stuff that blows about in all good Westerns!
When the Railroad was being built may labourers where encouraged to come from Eastern Europe and Russia to combat the vast inclines towards Denver and beyond into the Rockies. They had their passage paid for them and they bought wheat and grain with them - and amongst the grains were the Tumbleweed seeds - actually called Common Russian Thistle - bet you didn't know that did you?
At some point during this riveting conversation we crossed the Platte River which is over 300 miles long and served as the Oregon and Mormon trails, the route of the Pony Express, the Union Pacific portion of the first transcontinental railroad and for interstate route 80. Then about the time we passed through Glenn Miller's hometown of Fort Morgan the blizzard began!
Unfortunately I will have to see Denver properly on another trip - and to think I could of gone for a swim if I had packed my swimwear ............
Omaha to Denver is 570 Miles and the 15 hour trip was extended by 3 hours becasue of the snow.
Just one more interesting fact - Denver is the only city to ever decline to host an Olympiad after being selected!
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