For a very long time, tens of millions of bison roamed the U.S. and Canadian Prairies. Some used to say that bison were the “general store” for the Indigenous Nations that lived in the Prairies because almost every part of the animal was used for food, clothingClothing- Items made from fabric, skins, or other materials that serve to protect and cover the..., or to make items. As the United States was populated, and the colonization and constructionConstruction - The process of building something or putting something together Construction - Le processus de... of the railway extended into the Prairies, the bison had all but been eliminated. It’s important to understand that the near disappearance of bison had significant impacts on the economic, spiritual, cultural aspects of Indigenous societies living on this territoryA territory is an area of land, or sometimes of sea, that we can say "belongs".... We encourage you to learn more about the importance of bison for specific Indigenous nations residing in the prairies.
After bison populations began to dwindle, many settlers began raising livestock such as beef, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Ranches started appearing in 1880, while farmers had not yet colonized this semi-arid region where rain was scarce. This place was conducive to breeding and had good grazing for livestock. These growers often had ranches with herds of several hundred animals. Many successfully exported live cattle and frozen meat in refrigerated vessels to Britain or the United States.
In 1906-1907, a particularly harsh winter killed most of their livestock. That winter, the Chinook had not blown its warm wind that melts the snow and makes the grass appear, and the cows could not find food. Many growers abandoned livestock growing and started growing grain instead. And from that moment, the federal government started encouraging agriculture rather than livestock growing.
AuthorAuthor - A person who writes something Auteur - Une personne qui écrit quelque chose: Service national du Récit de l’univers social. Translated and adapted by LEARN/RÉCIT.
