Once, tens of millions of American bison (commonly called buffalo), one of the keystone species of the Great Plains and the Ohio Valley, roamed the plains of the Missouri River basin. Most Native American nations in the basin relied heavily on the bison as a food source, and their hides and bones served to create other household items. In time, the species came to benefit from the indigenous peoples' periodic controlled burnings of the grasslands surrounding the Missouri to clear out old and dead growth. The large bison population of the region gave rise to the term great bison belt, an area of rich annual grasslands that extended from Alaska to Mexico along the eastern flank of the Continental Divide. However, after the arrival of Europeans in North America, both the bison and the Native Americans saw a rapid decline in population. Massive over-hunting for sport by colonists eliminated bison populations east of the Mississippi River by 1833 and reduced the numbers in the Missouri basin to a mere few hundred. Foreign diseases brought by settlers, such as smallpox, raged across the land, decimating Native American populations. Left without their primary source of sustenance, many of the remaining indigenous people were forced onto resettlement areas and reservations, often at gunpoint.
once tens of millions of american bison (commonly called buffalo) one of the keystone species of the great plains and the ohio valley roamed the plains of the missouri river basin most native american nations in the basin relied heavily on the bison as a food source and their hides and bones served to create other household items in time the species came to benefit from the indigenous peoples' periodic controlled burnings of the grasslands surrounding the missouri to clear out old and dead growth the large bison population of the region gave rise to the term great bison belt an area of rich annual grasslands that extended from alaska to mexico along the eastern flank of the continental divide however after the arrival of europeans in north america both the bison and the native americans saw a rapid decline in population massive over-hunting for sport by colonists eliminated bison populations east of the mississippi river by 1833 and reduced the numbers in the missouri basin to a mere few hundred foreign diseases brought by settlers such as smallpox raged across the land decimating native american populations left without their primary source of sustenance many of the remaining indigenous people were forced onto resettlement areas and reservations often at gunpoint