Summary of Andrew Isenberg's the Destruction of the Bison

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Tonya Ballman History 110 05 The Destruction of the Bison by Andrew Isenberg describes the decline and near extinction of the bison in the United States due to the conversion of Natives to Equestrian Nomadism, the establishment of the fur trade, and other abiotic factors combined with overgrazing and several other natural factors. Fortunately for the bison, however, an interest was taken in their preservation and they were brought back from the brink of extinction through breeding and protective programs. In the early 18th century, “the bison hunter Robert M. Wright and General Philip Sheridan calculated that 100 million bison roamed the Great Plains.” (Page 23) The bison were thriving on the abundant amount of shortgrass in the area. Although there were certain environmental obstacles that threatened the livelihood of the bison, such as wolves, blizzards, and drought, the carrying capacity of the plains allowed them to reproduce quickly enough to where their population remained the same and even grew in some years. It wasn’t until the introduction of the horse and equestrian related practices to Native Americans in the plains that the bison population would become threatened. Up until the spread of the horse trade into Native American tribes in the late 1700s to early 1800s, Natives relied on more than one source to sustain themselves. Pedestrian bison hunting was practiced, but generally only a few bison were killed at once and they were not the only source of food. Soon though, the Natives were introduced to the horse, which initiated a great deal of change in their societies. It was discovered that bison hunting was much more efficient from the back of a horse than on the ground. The change wasn’t immediately widespread in the plains, but “A devastating epidemic of smallpox, perhaps in combination with other, unknown diseased, struck the plains between

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