In May 1894, Congress outlawed the hunting of buffalo in Yellowstone Park. This was the first step by the United States government toward protecting an animal that earlier American settlers had tried to eliminate.
Before white people arrived, buffalo were abundant on the plains and prairies. Indian storytellers recall the days when a person could ride a pony in one direction all day and always be with one herd of buffalo.
The Indians saw the large animals as kindred spirits who provided them with meat to eat and warm hides for protection against the harsh winters.
In 1830, estimates place about 40 million buffalo on the plains. But the systematic killing of buffalo by railroad workers and the pointless slaughter of the animals for sport (often, their carcasses were just left on the plain to rot) almost destroyed the herds. By 1893, there were probably fewer than one thousand buffalo on the plains.
Since 1894, attempts have been made to increase the number of buffalo in America. Today there are about 3,000 buffalo in Yellowstone National Park and the animal, while not considered endangered, is no longer a major source of food for Americans.