History -
History of The American Buffalo -
The American buffalo, or bison as it is often called today referring
to it's scientific name, of Bison-bison, at one time roamed
the grasslands of North America in numbers estimated to reach
some 60 million animals. Buffalo ranged the continent from Canada
to Mexico and from the Rockies east to Pennsylvania. The American
buffalo is believed to be the most important wild animal in the
development of North America. For early American Indian tribes
they provided food, shelter, clothing, tools and other supplies.
They also helped sustain Western explorers. Hunting for meat,
hides and "sport," along with an effort to force Indian
tribes onto reservations by eliminating the buffalo as a food
source annihilated the great herds. It has been estimated that
fewer than 1000 buffalo remained by the late 1800's.
The American buffalo or bison has, however, proven to be a hearty survivor and has once again returned to the plains and grasslands of North America. In the early 1900's several ranchers, farmers and buffalo enthusiasts began raising bison as a means of preserving a piece of the past. Over time these and other ranchers found a renewed interest in buffalo for their heartiness and their ability to survive the extremes of climate, especially the harsh winters of the Northern Plains, without special assistance. Interest in bison as a healthy meat source also experienced a renewal. Today this interest is growing rapidly and many new producers have started raising bison across the U.S., making bison one of the fastest growing industries in agriculture. Current estimates place today's population at over 300,000 buffalo on ranches, farms, federal and state lands, and preserves.
Nebraska lies in the heart of America's Great
Plains region where the American buffalo once roamed in massive
herds often stretching from horizon to horizon. Historical accounts
tell of the hunting and the elimination of the buffalo from the
Nebraska landscape during the Westward movement and settling of
the Nebraska prairies. One of Nebraska's oldest existing buffalo
ranches returned buffalo to the Sandhills of Nebraska in the late
1930's. Since that time their herd has grown to number to over
600 animals and they have been joined by an estimated150 other
producers large and small across the state.