PO Box 700 08 East 2nd Ave Fort Pierre, SD 57532 Phone: 605-223-7690Fax: 605-223-7693Shop: 605-223-7694 Swimming Pool: 605-223-7696 History     Back Scotty Philip -- "The Buffalo King!" At the end of the 1800s, there were only a few dozen buffalo left alive in the United States. James "Scotty" Philip purchased a buffalo herd owned by Fred Dupree. By the time of Philip's death in 1911, the herd had grown to about 1,000. After his death, estate officials began to disperse the herd, gradually selling buffalo over the next 13 years for meat, to Midwest ranches, and to a Wild West Show. A sale was made to Custer State Park, which still owns a large herd today. Scotty Philips earned the nickname "The Buffalo King" for his role in preserving the nearly extinct American bison, or buffalo.