Urbanites Buffaloed as the Bison Roam Over Newhall Home

To those who have never seen them--to schoolchildren, for instance, or to urban adults--the bison inhabiting Newhall’s William S. Hart Park look like something from a bad “B” movie. From a distance, they resemble huge, hairy cattle with horns and long, shaggy manes.

And, in a sense, that’s just what they are.

“You should see it sometimes when a busload of kids stops by to take a look,” park staffer Ken Newman said. “To someone who’s used to dogs and cats, it’s like something from outer space.”

For Newman and other staffers at the 260-acre county park surrounding the estate of the former silent film star, however, the bison have long been a fixture. Fed and maintained by county employees, the nine-member herd leads a quiet life on a fenced-in tract north of Hart’s mansion.

Few Bison in County

The bison, popularly called buffalo, are hardly a legacy here, since the herds that once roamed the country lived east of the Sierra Nevada. Aside from a herd on Catalina Island, and a smaller group at the Los Angeles Zoo, they are rarely seen in Los Angeles County, especially in groups of nine.

But in a town once known as a center for Western film making--Hart and Tom Mix once thrived here, along with Gene Autry’s nearby Melody Ranch--the bison seem to fit right in. The bison, donated by Walt Disney after a brief collective movie career, have spent three generations on the 80-acre tract.

In the process, they have established themselves as prime attractions at an unofficial zoo that has grown up at the park, which was left to the county when Hart died in 1946.

Main Attraction

Mike Dortch, park supervisor, said the county agreed to maintain Hart’s livestock when it took over the grounds. Today, he said, the park is home for such animals as peacocks, sheep, ponies and African pygmy goats. The animals, he said, have long been an attraction for local schoolchildren and not-so-local tourists.

But the bison are the main attraction, probably because some weigh more than a ton and stand more than six feet tall. Although park visitors are not allowed to touch them, or even to pass the fence surrounding their home, park staffers says the animals get more than their share of attention.

“People stop and gawk at them all the time,” said Jim Yaple, who leads tours of the mansion as a volunteer. “And sometimes we’ll get people who try and sneak up after drinking a few beers. Nobody’s ever been injured, but nobody’s ever done it more than once. You learn right away that they tend to make terrible pets.”

Lots of Trees, Hay

The bison seem content with their surroundings, which consist primarily of low trees and a large supply of hay. Yaple said they haven’t caused much trouble over the years, although one of the young ones recently squeezed through a fence and walked to downtown Newhall.

The herd has shrunk considerably over the years, from a high of 23 in the mid-1970s, but concerns that the bison might disappear have been eased in recent years by the births of several calves.

Over the years, only one bison has made it into the house, Yaple said. Known to the staffers as “Clyde,” the huge male was the leader of the herd until he died of old age in 1973.

Today, Clyde’s stuffed head hangs on the wall in what used to be Hart’s living room, surrounded by famous paintings and a wide selection of antiques.

And, although Hart and Clyde never met, there are some who think the match is just right.

“It’s a nice addition, actually,” Yaple said. “Seems to me that the two of them would have got along just fine.”