Historical Overview - The People of Treaty 7
Back in the 1830’s and 40’s, buffalo had roamed the prairies unhindered. 50 or 60 million by one count. For the Indians of the plains, these huge beasts had provided food to eat, clothing to wear, shelter from the weather, and medicine for their ills. For thousands of years, the buffalo was a way of life. But when the whites came, the buffalo became a business, the end was inevitable. And the end came fast. By 1880, for all practical purposes, the buffalo was extinct.