Shipments North In 1924 an agreement was formulated which involved shipments of young buffalo from Wainwright to the Northwest Territories. Over a period of four years, in excess of 6600 bison were miraculously transported by rail and barge to the southern part of Wood Buffalo Park. The calf crop from 1923 to 1924 were segregated within Buffalo Park and subsequently shipped the following spring. After being herded to a 20 acre holding area and crossing gate - guarded roadway they were corralled south of the tracks at the town/camp spur line. Here they were branded with the “gamb joint W,” to ensure easier identification for wardens of the northern park. This practice involving nearly 2000 bison was only executed during this one year, before public complaints put an end to it. Waiting at the loading chutes, each cattle car was divided by a V - shaped area to store hay, with ten to twelve buffalo housed on either side. From this point they proceeded by rail to Waterways (which is now Fort McMurray), via Edmonton, reloaded onto specially designed barges, eventually ending their journey in Wood Buffalo Park. The next three years saw more young animals cut from the main herd and follow the same route north. _________image_________ _________image_________ _________image_________ Corralled and loaded into cattlecars, the bson were transferred to barges and pushed down the Athabasca and Slave Rivers by the Northland Echo pictured above.