Bison 2022 restoration

Bison restoration important to heal grasslands and Native Nations

Bison 2016 nationalmammal

Bison as the first national mammal of the US

Bison 2014 Repopulation

Repopulating Bison has been "a healing experience"

Bison 2000 Return

Returning healthy bison to tribal lands

Bison 1990 InterTribal Bison Cooperative

InterTribal Bison Cooperative forms

Bison 1988 Brucellosis

Range expansion hindered to prevent brucellosis spread

Bison 1975 Migration

Bison cannot migrate like they used to

Bison 1969 Culling

Yellowstone suspends culling of Bison 

Bison 1935 End of ABS

Bison population determined secure, ABS votes itself out of existence

Bison 1913 assured

The future of the species now seems assured

Bison 1905 bisonsociety

American Bison Society forms

hist-5478-photo-First Federal Legislation Enacted to Protect Bison

First federal legislation enacted to protect bison

hist-5477-photo-85 Wild Bison Remain in the US, William Hornaday

85 wild bison remain in the US

hist-5475-photo-I Would Not Regret the Total Disappearance of the Buffalo, Secretary of Interior Columbus Delano

I would not regret the total disappearance of the buffalo

Bison 1870 bisonofthewoods

The bison of the woods

hist-5476-photo-Carcasses of Buffaloes Left to Rot on the Plains, Annual Record of Science and Industry

Carcasses of Buffaloes Rot on the Plains

Bison 1800 Reservations

Native people confined on reserves and bison slaughtered

hist-5474-photo-This Cannot Last, John James Audubon

This cannot last

hist-5482-photo-A Thousand Carcasses Strew the Plain, Alexander Ross

A thousand carcasses strew the plain

Bison 1724 First European Sighting

"the greatest rarity"

Bison 1699 Hunting

Careless Bison Hunting

hist-5472-photo-Such a Quantity Impossible to Number Them, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

Impossible to Number the Bison

Bison 195000BCE migration

Bison migrate from Asia to North America

Bison 10000BCE lakotaemerge

Lakota emerge from Washun Niye and follow the Bison

Bison 10000BCE lakota

Lakota believe a white bison calf is the most sacred living thing on earth

Bison 13000BCE roam

Bison roam the plains

hist-5483-photo-American Bison Overview

Bison, American Bison

Returning bison to native land

The Bison is a sacred animal in Native American tribes across the great plains. The animal was an integral character in many creation stories and now serves as a religious symbol of prosperity and survival. Organizations throughout the country are working to return bison herds to tribal communities in an effort to heal the species as well as the native people’s relationship with their cultural traditions. 

Overhunting

Bison hunting has been performed by native peoples for centuries. In the 1800s, American colonizers intentionally decimated the population as a tactic to deplete the tribes of a valuable resource. By 1889, only about 600 Bison roamed the plains.  

Migration

Bison prehistorically migrated from Alaska down to Mexico on a tract of richly fertile grasslands, known as the “Great Bison Belt.” Today, bison migration is restricted and separated by herd. The largest bison population on public land is the herd at Yellowstone National Park.

Most Pressing Issues

Bison, American Bison – Timeline

American Bison