This mountain of bison skulls shows how quickly the population was being depleted in the 1800s.Wikimedia Commons
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Unspecified location, 1905.New York Public Library
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In the 1870's, one railroad company shipped almost 500,000 bison hides to the East.Pinterest
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Hunters charge at a herd, 1917.Library of Congress
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"Geronimo standing over dead buffalo, with Native men and boys in ceremonial dress standing behind him, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, 1906."Library of Congress
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This photo of a woman on a cart drawn by two bison was understandably titled "A Daring Act." It was taken in 1910. Library of Congress
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A herd of American bison drinking at a lake in Yellowstone National Park, 1905.Library of Congress
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A man holds a rifle on top of a dead bison in an 1897 print titled "Glory enough for one day's hunt."Library of Congress
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A Teton Native American performs the Hu Kalowa Pi ceremony with a bison skull, 1907.Edward Curtis
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A herd in Montana, 1909.Library of Congress
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By the end of the 19th century, only 325 bison were still living in North America.Blogspot
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Unspecified location, circa 1904.New York Public Library
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A 1908 photo features a painting of Native Americans hunting for bison by covering themselves in bison skins and lying on top of their horses.Library of Congress
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Yellowstone, circa 1895-1920.New York Public Library
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South Dakota, 1911.New York Public Library
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Cowboys pursue bison in Butte, Montana, 1909.Library of Congress
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Unspecified location, circa 1903.New York Public Library
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Bison hunting in Yellowstone, date unspecified.New York Public Library
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American bison grazing in Wichita National Forest, circa 1860-1920.New York Public Library
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Minnesota hunters with their trophies, 1926.Wikimedia Commons
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Buffalo graze at Yellowstone, 1904.Library of Congress
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This photo taken in Yellowstone National Park in 1903 was captioned the "Last remnants of the American Bison."Library of Congress
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American bison grazing at unspecified location, circa 1900.Library of Congress
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A 1916 photo shows California bison grazing. It was captioned: "The famous American Bison that once roamed in countless thousands over our vast prairies."Library of Congress
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Today, because of aggressive conservation efforts, the American bison population has rebounded to approximately 500,000.
Pictured: Bison roam the Black Hills of South Dakota in 2001.David McNew/Getty Images
Haunting Photos From The Era That Almost Wiped Out The American Bison
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On a winter day in December 1867, a train took off from Fort Hays, Kansas. Rumbling across the prairie, it slowed as it neared a herd of bison. Then a hail of bullets exploded from the train windows, shattering the peace of the Great Plains, and felling the beasts where they stood. That was just the beginning of the American bison extermination.
By the 1860s, bison had roamed the Great Plains for 10,000 years. They numbered in the tens of millions, charging across the flat landscape in such a cacophony that people called it the "Thunder of the Plains." For generations, they'd provided Native Americans with food, clothing, and shelter.
But everything began to change after the Civil War. The railroad was snaking west, bringing with it new towns, trains, telegram lines, and eager settlers. Determined to allow western expansion to continue, the U.S. government decided to clear the way of Native Americans.
