The US Army, mercenary hunters and settlers moving westward in the 1870s killed 31 million buffaloes in 13 years.

The massive slaughter of buffaloes in the 1870s was aimed at eliminating the First Nations power supply from the North American prairies. This extermination had a strong impact on the natives, both physically and spiritually.
As more settlers began arriving in North America, conflicts arose between them and the native inhabitants.
The US Government realized that if they killed the buffalo, the Native Americans would lose their main source of livelihood.
The army was ordered to eliminate the 20-25 million buffalo to defeat the powerful Lakota armies and their allies. The construction of the railways facilitated the killing. The hunters killed buffalo only to obtain the hides and allowed the rest of the animal to rot. During one winter (1872-1873) more than 1,500,000 buffalo hides were exported to the east.
Train companies offered westbound trips to settlers to kill buffalo, even from train windows. Contests were held to hunt animals. During a competition, a person from Kansas set a record killing 120 buffalo in 40 minutes. Another man named "Buffalo" Bill Cody, who was hired to kill buffalo, in 2 years killed 4,000 animals. Due to different reasons, it is estimated that a total of 31 million buffaloes were killed between 1868 and 1881 and that in 1885 there were only 500 buffaloes (from an original population of 20-25 million). At the same time the native population in the region dropped from 1 million to just over 200,000.

Let us not forget the Lakota people

Danilo Anton

The Lakota of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota are extremely poor. Unemployment is 80-90%. Their income is US$ 4,000 per capita. The vast majority live below the poverty line. Life expectancy is among the lowest in the world; 48 years for men and 52 for men. Alcoholism is widespread. The Lakota language is disappearing. Of the 120,000 Lakota, only 20,000 speak their language. Without identity and future young people are killing themselves.
However, the Lakota or Sioux were among the most dynamic and prosperous towns in North America. They were farmers and buffalo hunters in their ancestral territory of more than 200,000 km2.
From 1870 to 1882 buffalo were exterminated. The government of the United States through its army and professional hunters managed to kill 20 million in 12 years, which were the food supply of the Lakota communities. Then, the United States took their land. Today we conserve less than 10% of their original lands and only in the less fertile and less productive areas.
The United States have forgotten the Lakota and still worse they do not care.
But we should not forget them.

The US Army, mercenaries hunters and settlers pushed westward in the 1870s and killed 31 million buffalo in 13 years.

D.A.
The mass slaughter of buffaloes in the 1870s was aimed at removing the main sustaining of the First Nations in the North American prairies. This animal extermination had a strong impact on the natives, both physically and spiritually.
As more settlers began to arrive in North America, conflicts arose between them and the native inhabitants.
The US government realized that if they killed the buffalo, Native Americans would lose their main source of livelihood.
The army was ordered to remove 20-25 million buffalo to defeat the mighty Lakota armies and their allies. The construction of railroads facilitated the killing. Buffalo hunters killed only for hides and left to rot the rest of the animal. During one winter (1872-1873) 1,500,000 buffalo hides.were exported to the East coast.

Railway companies offered trips westward to settlers just  to kill buffalo, even from the windows of the train, Competitions were held to hunt animals. During one of thjose, a person of Kansas established a record by killing 120 buffaloes in 40 minutes. Another man named "Buffalo" Bill Cody, who was hired to kill buffalo, in two years killed 4,000 animals. Due to different reasons an estimated total of 31 million buffaloes were killed between 1868 and 1881 and in 1885 only 500 buffalo remained (from an original population of 20-25 million). At the same time the native population in the region fell from 1 million to little more than 200,000.