American Bison

The American bison (Bison bison), also commonly known as the American buffalo or simply buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. They became nearly extinct by a combination of westward expansion, commercial hide hunting and introduction of diseases from cattle. Their historical range roughly comprised a triangle between the Great Bear Lake in Canada’s far northwest, south to the Mexican states, and east to the Atlantic Seaboard. Two subspecies have been described: the plains bison (B. b. bison), smaller in size and with a more rounded hump, and the wood bison (B. b. athabascae)—the larger of the two and having a taller, square hump. The wood bison is one of the largest wild species of bovid in the world

Who Saved The Bison

Canada to the United States During the mid-1800’s people started realizing the importance of the buffalo, not only for animal cruelty reasons, but for grassland ecological and future resources. Someone needed to speak out and step up and over the years they did, but never enough at one time to count, in those tough times. The real extermination of the buffalo was caused by the demands of trade there can be no doubt, aided and abetted by sportsmen, Indians, and others; but the blame really lies with the government that in all these years permitted a few ignorant Congressman to block … Read more

State Bison Symbols

How Buffalo Symbolize This Country Top honor: USS Buffalo USS Buffalo (SSN-715), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Buffalo, New York (another USS Buffalo was named for the animal). The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 23 February 1976, and her keel was laid down on 25 January 1980. She was launched on 8 May 1982 sponsored by Mrs. Joanne Kemp, and commissioned on 5 November 1983, with Commander G. Michael Hewitt in command. In … Read more

Bison Timeline

Bison History Timeline As I research historical accounts of bison, most of which I located from Newspapers.com, new information and articles are being added almost daily. It’s a long process, but a mission worthy of my time investment, and I hope; worthy of your time spent reading the articles. I have re-typed the historical news articles, word-for-word, so as to capture the spirit and essence intended by the authors. If you see “____”, this means I cannot transcribe a word for reasons of legibility. Note: You may notice conflicting information as you read. This is not unusual when researching history. … Read more

Madison Grant

American lawyer, eugenicist, and conservationist (1865–1937) (November 19, 1865 – May 30, 1937) Madison Grant – Role in American Conservation Credible wildlife zoologist, was instrumental in creating the Bronx Zoo, and founded the first organizations dedicated to preserving American bison. Grant spent his career at the center of the same energetic conservationist circle as Roosevelt. This band of reformers did much to create the country’s national parks, forests, game refuges, and other public lands—the system of environmental stewardship and public access that has been called “America’s best idea.” They developed the conviction that a country’s treatment of its land and … Read more

Osage

Tulsa World News by John Klein Jan 2017 PAWHUSKA — It is always somewhat emotional for Osage Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear when he looks out over historical tribal lands recently returned to the tribe. He feels pride. He feels a responsibility to these ancestral lands. And, he feels determined. “There is some emotion, sure there is,” Standing Bear said. “But there’s another side to it, too. The Osage tribe is a vibrant political entity. This is not a dictatorship. There are different points of view. “So, we have to look at all the options. We have reacquired 43,000 acres. … Read more

Belgium

Antwerp Belgium Antwerp Belgium, It is the oldest animal park in the country, and one of the oldest in the world, established on 21 July 1843. Since its foundation, the park has been controlled by De Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen, a society originally called Société Royale de Zoologie d’Anvers (The Antwerp Royal Society for Zoology). This also became the popular nickname for the zoo “De Zoologie”. The initial objective was to encourage zoological and botanical sciences. The first director was renowned zoologist and botanist Jacques Kets (10 November 1785 – 1 February 1865). He accepted this position on … Read more

What part of the bison was used?

What did the Indians use from the buffalo? Natives & Whites The Indians used almost every piece of the buffalo in one way or another. “It gave its life so Indians could live. The buffalo’s generosity provided Indians with food and shelter. Indian people modeled the buffalo’s generosity, and it became fundamental to the economy of the American Indian.” Richard B. Williams ~Oglala Lakota BONES – Knives-Awls-Quirts-Tableware-Tools-Shovel – Scrapers-Pipes-Saddle Tree- Fleshing Tool- Paint Brush-Splints- Arrowheads- War Clubs- Game Dice- Toys- Tools- Shields- Fertilizer-Sleds-Saddle Tree-Scrapers-Jewelry- Fishing Hooks – Lance Tip – The Indians employed a hook made of a buffalo bone … Read more

Bison in History

Bison Timeline Bison in History As I research new information, articles are being added almost daily. It’s a long process, but a mission worthy of my time investment, and I hope; worthy of your time spent reading the articles. I have re-typed the articles, word-for-word, so as to capture the spirit and essence intended by the authors. If you see “____”, this means I cannot transcribe a word for reasons of legibility. Note: You may notice conflicting information as you read. This is not unusual when researching history. We offer no theses or biased conclusions, only the words written by … Read more

Did the buffalo roam?

I have often been asked, “If the Black Prairie really is a prairie, were there once buffalo around here?” Rufus Ward June 23, 2014 The answer is, yes, there were buffalo here but not necessarily because of the existence of the prairie. There were buffalo in the prairie during prehistoric times and into the early period of European contact, but they were also found in the forest areas, too. These were buffalo or bison which were living east of the Mississippi River and which were said to have been slightly smaller than the western buffalo. Although there were buffalo in … Read more

Articles & Publications

Our Research & Insights From time to time I run across a great bison-related Articles & Publications, and sometimes the author lets me share. These are just a few I wanted to share. I have articles throughout this site from other contributors. These are enough on their own and I felt they would have been lost in other content, and they may fit into several categories, which is why I separated them from the rest. All published content has great information; sometimes you may run across one that you question. But…there is always something that makes me want to keep … Read more