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By Grant MacEwan
Europeans, on their arrival in the West, saw the buffalo as dull, sulky, and of no benefit except to the Indians. Early governments believed the huge, free-ranging herds were an impediment to enforcement of newly signed treaties. Enterprising pioneers recognized buffalo hunts as first-class sporting events, sure to appeal to wealthy and upper-class Britishers and others overseas. It was only when a remnant of this part of North America's natural history remained that the significance of the destruction became clear. In Buffalo: Sacred and Sacrificed, popular historian Grant MacEwan captures the efforts of early conservationists James McKay, Charles Alloway, Sam Bedson, Frank Oliver, and Michel Pablo to preserve and protect this monarch of the plains.