THE DEMISE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON HOME ON THE RANGE THE DEMISE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON 1
WHERE THEY ROAMED… 30-60 MILLION BISON ROAMED THE GREAT PLAINS OF NORTH AMERICA FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. 2
PLAINS INDIANS SLAUGHTER BUFFALO FOR SURVIVAL KIOWA 3
‘PEGGING’ THE HIDE 4
HOW MANY HIDES? THE ‘GUN CULTURE’ SETTLERS BROUGHT TO THE PLAINS INCREASED THE NUMBER OF BISON HUNTED BY THE PLAINS INDIANS AS WELL 5
TOO MANY HIDES… 6
SURVIVAL FOR NATIVE AMERICANS 7
THE HUNTERS Bat Masterson Pat Garrett Wild Bill Hickok Buffalo Bill Wyatt Earp 8
THE PROFIT $3.00 PER HIDE (SOME COULD KILL 250/DAY) $.25 PER TONGUE $8.00 PER TON OF BUFFALO BONES (100 CARCASSES) 9
Tragedy on the Plains 10
BUFFALO HIDES-1872 DODGE CITY, KANSAS 11
SLAUGHTERED BUFFALO 1872 12
BUFFALO SKULLS 13
THE DEMISE OF THE BISON=THE DEMISE OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN In the spring of 1869 the train on the Kansas Pacific Railroad was delayed at a point between Forts Harker and Hays, from nine o'clock in the morning until five in the afternoon, in consequence of the passage of an immense herd of buffalo across the track. "Let them kill, skin, and sell until the buffalo is exterminated, as it is the only way to bring lasting peace and allow civilization to advance." - General Philip Sheridan
THE END OF THE BISON? 1884: 1200-2000 BISON LEFT ON THE PLAINS 2007: 150,000 HERD BISON DUE TO THE WORK OF PRESERVATIIONISTS THE AMERICAN INDIAN? GONE EXCEPT FOR RESERVATIONISTS AND COMMUNITY DWELLERS.
Sometimes when far away from camp a blizzard would come down from the north in all its fury without ten minutes' warning, and in a few seconds the air, full of blinding snow, precluded the possibility of finding their shelter, an attempt at which would only result in an aimless circular march on the prairie. On such occasions, to keep from perishing by the intense cold, they would kill a buffalo, and, taking out its viscera, creep inside the huge cavity, enough animal heat being retained until the storm had sufficiently abated for them to proceed with safety to their camp.