Michel Pablo Michel Pablo was of Indian Mexican decent, entitling him to native rights at the Flathead Reservation. When settlements threatened his grazing privileges along the Pend d’ Oreille River in 1905, Pablo began his quest for a suitable buyer. President Theodore Roosevelt had favored the possibility of obtaining Pablo’s herd but the 60th Congress was not to be convinced. The offer was rejected. Frustrated and angry, Pablo turned to his friend Alexander Ayotte, a Canadian immigration officer in Montana. Ayotte and Canadian National Parks Superintendent Howard Douglas persuaded the Minister of the Interior Frank Oliver that the acquisition of this last sizeable herd of purebred plains bison would indeed be a feather in Canada’s still new cap. Agreement signed, Pablo proceeded to undertake the largest roundup and shipment of wild animals known to North America. The Deal The key figures in the deal enabling Canada to purchase Michel Pablo’s herd of buffalo were: Frank Oliver, Minister of the Interior; W.D. Scott, Superintendent of Immigration (Ottawa); W.W. Cory, Deputy Minister of the Interior; Howard Douglas, Superintendent Rocky Mountains Park; Benjamin Davies, Canadian Emigration Agent, Montana; Alexander Ayotte, Canadian Immigration Agent, Montana; J.B. Harkin, National Parks Branch; and Sir Wilfred Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada. Confident, Canada felt this to be a profitable investment for their country, soon to own approximately 80% of all the existing buffalo in North America. There evolved much correspondence and personal discussion prior to the signing of a binding contract. Perhaps rumors of the American Bison Society’s sudden interest in Pablo’s herd expediated culmination of the bargain. Those men listed above were jointly responsible for having Pablo’s proposal become a reality. The original arrangement allowed for the undetermined number of Pablo’s entire herd to be purchased for $200 a head, the owner wishing to retain a dozen beasts. A shipping allowance of $18,000 would transport approximately 300 head via rail from Ravalli, Montana to Edmonton. Pre-shipment inspection confirmed only purebred plains bison would be exported. A $10,000 deposit in Missoula’s First National Bank officially sealed the deal in February of 1907. Later that year more bison were available, as Pablo had misjudged his herd’s size. A follow-up agreement approved and signed by Sir Wilfred Laurier, authorized the increased appropriation. Amended, the purchase would be for as many bison as Pablo could supply at $200 each with shipping costs averaging $45 per head. Upon termination of Pablo’s contract in 1912, he received payment for 716 buffalo plus shipment costs, Canada’s expenditure totaling $200,000.