Buffalo in Oregon

Students in 9th grade have been learning about the settling of the west.  They have learned about how the Indians were forced to assimilate.  They have read quotes about "soddies" and "rattlesnake dens."   They have also learned about how the buffalo were exterminated by the advance of manifest destiny.

The history of the buffalo also includes part of the boundaries of the state of Oregon.  The lower southeast corner of the state once had numerous herds of  plains bison.  By 1887, these buffalo were eliminated from Oregon.  Now, students eagerly shared their experiences of seeing buffalo in farms throughout the Willamette Valley.  There is even a rare herd of white buffalo in Oregon.  Students also learned that the handiest way to kill the buffalo was to herd them over cliffs, where they were easier to slaughter after their limbs were broken.