By JOHN SIMMONDS
Hays Post

Area residents will have an opportunity to view an award-winning documentary about a western hero with local ties. “The Buffalo King” is a biography about James “Scotty” Philip, who emigrated from Scotland to the US.. The film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25 at Fox Pavilion Theater.

Scotty Philip is regarded as the man who saved the buffalo. That title stems from his work caring for and protecting the animal at a time when it was nearly hunted to the point of extinction. While the exploits that made him famous happened in South Dakota, Sheilah Philip told Hays Post her ancestor’s adventures in America began right here.

Scotty came to the U.S. in 1874 at the age of 16 to join his brother George (Sheilah’s great great grandfather), who had settled in Victoria and wrote letters home describing the great plains of opportunity. Scotty came with two of his brothers; Alex and David. The trio joined George on the farm. After a year as a farmer, Scotty took a horse to Hays, loaded up on supplies, and made his way through Dodge City and Cheyenne. Eventually, he settled in an area that would later become South Dakota.

While Scotty was on his journey, George Philip continued to farm in the Hays/Victoria area. Many of George’s descendants reside in the area, some of whom continue to manage the Philip Ranch southeast of Hays. Sheilah Philip says her family has passed stories down through the generations, and she’s happy to see this documentary bring some of them to life.

She says in addition to the conservation work showcased in the documentary, there are other sources of inspiration to be found in the life of her late uncle.

“What I find astonishing is the idea of being 16 years old and saying ‘OK, I’m going to go make my fortune now.’ He had something like 4 years of formal education basically reading, writing and arithmetic. He was a bright guy; he just didn’t get along with the school master very well,” she explained. “He was wise in a lot of ways.”

The best way to sum up the way Scotty Philip saw the world is by using his own words.

“If a man wants to get a fine lesson in the advantage of ‘standing together’ he need only watch a buffalo herd in stormy weather.” – Scotty Philip

Justin Koehler, the film’s director and co-writer, said the documentary has been picked up on PBS stations nationwide as well as multiple film festivals.  Most recently it was accepted to the Fargo Film Festival.  Koehler added he grew up 15 miles from Philip, SD (a town named after Scotty) and he didn’t know about Scotty at first.  He says the film has been well received and he’s excited for the Hays showing.

Anyone interested in learning about the life of Scotty can also read the following books.

Scotty Philip: the Man Who Saved the Buffalo by Wayne C. Lee, The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1975
Cowbow Life: the Letters of George Philip, ed. by Cathie Draine, South Dakota State Historical Society, 2007