Wednesday, June 27, 2012

World's Only Trained Buffalo

Ron M.  has been doing some surfing on YouTube and found this treasure.  It's a home video taken at Buffalo Ranch, the former famous tourist attraction just two miles down Route 66 from Afton Station.   I happen to own the hat and the crop you see being used in this video.  It's a  home movie taken in the 1950s.   
The hat and crop belonged to LaRue Olsen, the trainer.  Legend has it that the buffalo, named Pat, eventually accidentally killed LaRue by falling upon him.  His hat and crop are on loan to the Route 66 museum at Route 66 Harley Davidson in Tulsa.

4 comments:

Susan Yates said...

What a find! Congratulations, Ron. Fascinating to watch, but so poignant to see Mr. Olsen underneath and hugging the animal he obviously cared for and trained, knowing about the accident that would later take his life. Do you know, Laurel, what happened to the buffalo?

Laurel said...

Susan,

I don't know what happened to the buffalo, but I'll ask Betty W. the next time I see her.

Anonymous said...

I know no one will believe this but LaRue was my great-great grandpa. My grandma would tell me stories about him and I want to share how LaRue actually died. *The buffalo didn't kill him.* It's nothing but a tall-tale. Here's what really happened. Great-great grandpa was logging up in the snowy woods and a tree fell on him. I know it sounds weird, but that's what happened.

Susan, unless someone answered this here's what happened to his buffalo. There were actually two to start with, Mike and Pat. Mike caught pneumonia and died, but Pat (the one with the crooked horn) continued his training to become "The World's Only Trained Buffalo". I don't remember what happened to Pat after that.

Dusty777 said...

True