An American Species

When Lewis and Clark set out to explore west of the Mississippi nearly 200 years ago, there were still buffalo trails running over the mountains of Virginia. When they reached the upper Missouri River in April 1805, Lewis described the country as “covered with herds of Buffalo, Elk & Antelopes…. [They] are so gentle that we pass near them while feeding, without appearing to excite any alarm among them, and when we attract their attention, they frequently approach us more nearly to discover what we are.”

Buffalo, or more correctly, American bison herds once ranged from Canada to Mexico and from the Rockies to the Atlantic Coast. An estimated 30 to 75 million buffalo once roamed North America. “The moving multitude … darkened the whole plains,” noted Clark after seeing a herd along the White River, South Dakota in 1806. The expedition members killed what they consumed, but setters who followed in their wake destroyed the bison population.

While most of the small herds east of the Mississippi were gone by 1800, buffalo hunting became the chief industry of the plains in 1830. Groups of hunters killed up to 250 animals a day for their hides and meat. Many people also wanted to eradicate the buffalo as a way to take away the livelihood of the Native American. When railroads arrived, hunting from train windows was widely advertised. By the end of the 1800s, fewer than 300 wild animals remained in the US and Canada.

Through conservation efforts and laws, the buffalo population has rebounded to an estimated 350,000. The increase in numbers is also due in large part to ranching. According to the National Bison Association (NBA), about 90 percent of the bison raised today are owned by private individuals, many of whom typically keep 100 head or fewer.

The beginning of one of my pieces for Agri-View’s “Back Forty,” Madison, Wisconsin, titled “Shady Creek Bison raise, preserve an American species.” The piece was inspired by Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West.

Location: Minnesota, USA

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