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General William T. Sherman calls for the decimation of the buffalo herds as a strategy to weaken Indigenous tribes.

1830

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Sherman argues that if the buffalo are eradicated, Native people will be easier to control. He is motivated by the desire to control the Western Plains, complete the transcontinental railroad, and open access for settlers going west in search of gold.

Sherman and other army generals invite wealthy men to come west on buffalo hunting sprees. Between 1830 and 1885, 40 million buffalo will be slaughtered. In 1884, there will be no buffalo left in Wind Cave, the spiritual home of both the buffalo and the Lakota people. By 1900, fewer than 500 buffalo will remain in the wild.