By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
An estimated 200 people filled the Fox Pavilion in downtown Hays Saturday night to watch a new documentary about the true story of a local man who saved the buffalo.
“The Buffalo King” details the life and work of James “Scotty” Philip, who came to America from Scotland and is credited with saving the American bison from extinction.
Philip came to the U.S. in 1874 at age 16 with two of his brothers, Alex and David. and joined the fourth brother, George Philip, in Victoria. Many of George’s descendants reside in the area, some of whom continue to manage the Philip Ranch southeast of Hays.
George Philip IV, and his brother Gordon, live in Hays. Kaylynn Philip and her sister, Sandy, live outside of town. The cousins, along with friends and community members, gathered at the theater last night with about 35 other family members to watch the story of their great-great-uncle.
Most of the family already had seen the film on DVD, courtesy of the film’s director and co-writer Justin Koehler.
“Seeing it on the big screen was impressive,” said Kaylynn Philip after the show.
“Scotty was an important man,” she added proudly.
After about a year in Victoria/Hays and then Dodge City, Scotty Philip moved to what would become South Dakota and became a well-respected cattleman and landowner, county commissioner and state senator. He married Sarah (Sally) Larribee who was half French, half Sioux. They had 10 children, five of whom died young
By 1888, millions of American buffalo had been killed by white Americans, who sold the massive animals’ hides and horns, leaving most of the rest of the animal to rot. Just 325 wild buffalo were known to still be alive.
Philip started his own “buffalo pasture” near Pierre, S.D., moving about 80 of the remaining animals onto his land to thrive and multiply.
James “Scotty” Philip died at age 53 in 1911.
His great-great niece Sheila Philip is interviewed in the film. Sheila grew up in Hays and now lives in Kansas City.
“The best way to sum up the way Scotty Philip saw the world is by using his own words,” Philip says in the film.
“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
The film won Best Documentary Feature at the South Dakota Film Festival, was a nominee for the same award at the Black Hills Film Festival, and has been accepted by the Documentary Feature Committee as an official selection at the 2014 Fargo Film Festival. It has also been featured at the following events:
- DocuWest Documentary Film Festival
- Film Fest Twain Harte
- National Bison Association Summer Conference
- American Bison Society and Wildlife Conservation Society Conference and Workshop
- South Dakota Festival of Books
“The Buffalo King” has been also been picked up on PBS stations nationwide, director Koehler said earlier. He was unable to be in Hays Saturday as originally planned.
Koehler added he grew up 15 miles from Philip, S.D., a town named after Scotty.