Western Expansion

The coming of the railroads affected the buffalo herds in several ways.First, hunters getting meat for the railroad workers saw the buffalo as an easy way to provide meat. Next, the railroads allowed the hides of the buffalo to be shipped back to the East in mass quantities. Another reason is that passengers riding the trains often shot buffalo out of the windows or off the back of trains for sport. The coming of the railroads caused the buffalo to be hunted almost to the point of extinction. Importance of the Buffalo to Native Americans