Bison and Civilization
November 5, 1997
In the great American struggle for our hearts and minds, we are all influenced by the reasons and allusions presented by the proponents of various ideologies. Few of these are more interesting than the polar extremes of two of these notions. The economic notion that if any venture is profitable, it is OK to do it. This idea contrasts with the notion that resources are not limitless - that some conservation and preservation of resources is necessary. That species should not be hunted to extinction. The reasonable ideas of free enterprise and private ownership were carried far beyond what is currently fashionable by our forefathers. The rapid settlement of the western United States was largely dependent on the notion of limitless resources. The northern forests were thought to be limitless, but due to a shortage of trees, the logging boom ended after only ten years. Great riches were made by a few who often built large mansions along the banks of the upper Mississippi near their sawmills. Passenger pigeons were eradicated and the American bison had a close call. Prairies that should never have been plowed turned into dust bowls. In hindsight, it is easy to look back and see the error of our ways but anyone foolish enough to point out these errors at the time ran the risk of being tarred, feathered, beaten, shot or hung.
I find the role that governmental servants sometimes played in these dramas very interesting. One buffalo hunter named Frank H. Mayer, explained the role this way: “...don’t understand that any official action was taken in Washington ... to kill all the buffalo of the Plains. Nothing like that happened. What did happen was that army officers in charge of Plains operations encouraged the slaughter of buffalo in every possible way. Part of this encouragement was of a practical nature that we runners appreciated. It consisted of ammunition, free ammunition ... all you had to do to get it was to apply at any frontier army post.” Why did they give away ammunition? Part of the answer is provided by a comment of General Philip Sheridan. “Let them kill, skin, and sell until the buffalo is exterminated, as it is the only way to bring lasting peace and allow civilization to advance.” It was General Sheridan’s idea that the way to win Indian wars was to starve the Indians. Destroy a resource on which Indians depended - buffalos - and Indian wars would cease. He was right, but what an uncivilized way to accomplish his goal - what an incredible cost! But, as my friend Roger Williams explains: with the building of Casinos all over the country, the Indians are “getting their revenge.”
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