Central New Mexico
above: Bison were integral to the Plains Native Americans’ lives, providing food, shelter, clothing, and a centerpoint for many of their religious beliefs.
facing page: A major influence on the demise of bison was the growing middle and upper classes in the 19th-century United States, whose insatiable appetite for beef drove cattle ranching deeper into the western grazing ranges of bison, spreading bovine disease and destroying bison habitat.
Fort Worth, TX
