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BUFFALO

The American Buffalo, or Bison is the state animal of Oklahoma.

In 1850 there were an estimated 20 million head of buffalo sharing the western plains with 50 million open range longhorn cattle.

The bison, or buffalo, was an endangered species in the United States. Before Europeans came to America, huge numbers of bison roamed free on the prairies -- about 30 million! European settlers hunted them eagerly, believing that there would always be a continual supply of wild bison. Unfortunately, they were wrong. So many bison were hunted that by 1890 there were only 750 animals left. A law was passed to protect them, and today most bison live in parks and wildlife reserves. Today, there are about 80,000 to 90,000 bison, thanks to efforts to preserve the species.
Library of Congress Local Legacies Project