A Brief History of the Great American Bison

The American Bison, often referred to as the American buffalo or simply buffalo, is a herbivorous, bovine mammal originating in Eurasia and migrating to North America across the Bering Strait some 10,000 years ago. Two main subspecies of the North American buffalo are recognized: Plains Bison, which are smaller with a more rounded hump, and Wood Bison, typically larger with a taller square hump.

North America’s largest land mammal, the buffalo was almost driven to extinction in the 19th century by man as a result of their valued fur coats. Also, the herds were a key economic factor in the survival of Native American tribes, which allegedly the U.S. Government was trying to extinguish at the time. With the Wildlife Conservation Society reporting in 1889 only 1,091 bison remained in North America something drastic had to be done to preserve the beast’s existence.

In 1902 the U.S. Government discontinued the hunting of wild buffalo and by 1905 Theodore Roosevelt formed the American Bison Society with the goal of “permanent preservation and increase of the American bison.” This organization later transformed into the modern day National Bison Association. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, as of 2002, there were 232,000 buffalo residing on private ranches in the U.S. with a further 20,000 wild buffalo roaming the open plains. The USDA also estimated that some 250,000 buffalo are residing in Canada.