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There was a time when as many as 50 to 60
million buffalo roamed the great plains from Alaska to Mexico. Massive herds
moved across the plains leaving trails that are now our railroads and
highways. One wonders, with this great number of buffalo, who actually took
time to count them! Did someone sit on the side of a hill and count as they
moved by? Journals of early frontiersmen tell of herds 50 miles long and 20
miles wide, that's a lot of buffalo! Just imagine being the buffalo in the
middle, you talk about being in a crowd! I hope none of them had
claustrophobia. Now imagine the buffalo in the center needing a drink of
water. He or she must travel 10 miles through the crowd. That's about as bad
as getting to the bathroom at halftime at the Super Bowl!
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But seriously, the America buffalo sustained,
not only the Native Americans of the plains, but were an important life source
for the early frontiersmen that came to explore the west. The buffalo also
played a major role in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They provided food,
clothing, and shelter for the Lewis and Clark team as they made their way to
the Pacific. Lewis and Clark, in 1806, wrote,"The moving multitude....darkened
the whole plains." It's interesting how everything works together to make
things happen and in how changes come about.
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The American Indians lived well on the
prairie when the buffalo were so plentiful. They had all the food, clothing,
and shelter they needed and had the freedom to move as they pleased, following
the buffalo herds. But things change. The change came for the buffalo and in
turn the Native Americans when the Europeans moved west.
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The massive herds of buffalo dwindled fast. The buffalo hunters only wanted the hides,and it became somewhat of a "sport" to shoot buffalo from the train as they passed the herds.
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The American Buffalo have played an important
part in our American history, from the tremendous numbers of the past to near
extinction in the late 1800's to growing into an important industry in our
nation today. The American buffalo deserves our respect for playing such an
important part in our past history and our present day society.
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Source of Pictures: First People Art Gallery
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