The Bison Of The Great Plains
In the fifteenth century, the Great Plains were roamed by one hundred million shaggy, short-sighted American bison (popularly known as buffalo, a corruption of the French boeuf ). Apart from eating their flesh, Native Americans used the fur and hide for clothing and shelter, the bones for weapons, utensils and toys, and the droppings for fuel. Eliminating the bison en masse was a mercilessly effective way to deplete the Indians as well. By 1900 there were fewer than one thousand bison left in North America. Custer State Park was instrumental in helping to raise that meager number to a head count of 250,000 in the US and Canada. Its one thousand bison constitute the country's second largest publicly owned herd, beaten only by Yellowstone National Park. However, over ninety percent of bison in the US are now privately owned - the meat, higher in protein and lower in cholesterol than either chicken or tuna, is becoming something of a cross between a novelty and a delicacy item in restaurants (you can try it in burger form at the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park and dozens of other places around South Dakota). The Triple U Ranch, outside Pierre, South Dakota - the stage for several scenes in Dances with Wolves - boasts a herd of 3500 strong, though Ted Turner owns around 20,000, split between his ranches in several western states. The Custer State Park bison are free to roam where they please until either the last Monday of September or the first Monday in October, when the park stages its annual roundup . From selected viewing points, the public is welcome to witness one of the Midwest's more thrilling occasions. Modern technology has invaded cowboy territory. Helicopters, jeeps and pickup trucks, as well as riders on horseback, steer the often recalcitrant herd down a six-mile "corridor" and into a series of pens. There the calves are branded and vaccinated, and the whole herd sorted to determine which five hundred will be auctioned off on the third Saturday in November. Proceeds from the sale account for twenty percent of the park's annual revenue. Don't let the tranquil, easygoing appearance of North America's biggest mammal lull you into a false sense of security. An average bull can stand six feet high at the hump, weigh up to a ton, outrun a horse, turn on a dime and gore a human most efficiently
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