Market Hunting was a Gruesome Business

Market Hunting was a Gruesome Business. . , Toward the mid-1800s, the picture of bison on the Great Plains began to change. Westward expansion by pioneers, cattle ranching, fashion fads, and development of railroad lines all impacted the bison., Bison hides had many markets; they were tanned and served as belts to drive early machinery, as well as made into clothing products. The tongues were butchered, salted, and sold as a delicacy. A limited supply of bison could not stand against this onslaught., Photo captions: Market hunters focused on the hides and tongues of bison. While these items were taken to shipping yards, the remaining carcasses were left to rot on the open prairie., Fashion also played a part in the demise of the massive bison herds. Clothing from bison, such as coats and hats, were the styles in the late 1800s., They Slaughtered an American Heritage , During the 1870s, with a depressed economy and jobs scarce across the country, market hunting was a prime way to earn a living. A hunter could earn around $3 per hide, more than the wages in a factory. For this reason, thousands of hunters headed for the Great Plains in order to earn their fortune., Captions Many westward pioneers slaughtered bison for sport. In some cases, trains had to stop for the large herds. While waiting, passengers would shoot bison from the tracks and railroad cars., The Sharps rifle made it possible for hunters to harvest over 100 bison per day. Its .40 caliber bullet was slow compared to today's shells. However, its heavy weight would injure a bison regardless of the target spot.,

"It shot a hundred and twenty grains of powder, and the bullets were an inch and a quarter long. When one of these big leads would hit a buffalo, whether it hit the right place or not, it would make him sick. It wouldn't be long till I put another into him. If that wasn't enough, I'd put still another into him. I have often shot a buffalo ten or fifteen times before I got him down." , Unknown Kansas Buffalo Hunter 1872

, Exterminate the Bison , During the late 1800s, the United States government encouraged the slaughter of bison to drive the Plains Indians onto reservations. The lack of bison would cause various tribes to be without food, shelter, clothing, and spirit. Rather than fighting a perceived enemy directly, the government simply cut off their supply line., Caption Conflicts between cultures existed all across the Great Plains. Fighting erupted due to hunting lands being trespassed, treaties being broken, and markets causing greed and malice. The bison happen to be in the middle of many of these issues.,

"These men (market hunters) have done in the last two years and will do more in the next year to settle the vexed Indian question, than the entire regular army has done in the last thirty years." , General Philip Sheridan 1875

, One Bison Business Creates Another , Following in the footsteps of the market hunters were bone collectors. They collected bison bones across the prairie and heaped them into large piles near railroad lines. The bones were then shipped to the eastern states to be ground and used for fertilizer or refining sugar. Like market hunting, this industry was big, while supplies lasted., Photo captions: The sights of massive piles of bones are a sobering reminder of the numbers of bison that lived on the Great Plains. Like today, it was a business that created jobs and earned a paycheck. But, was it worth the cost?, With the market for bones came several unique products. Bison bones were used for buttons, combs, knife handles, and cleansers.