In 1867 conservative estimates put the number of buffalos in the trans-Missouri region at fifteen million. By the end of the 1880's the figure had dwindled to a few hundred. The destruction of the great herds is the theme of the The Buffalo Hunters. Mari Sandoz's vast canvas is charged with color and excitement - accounts of Indian ambushes, hairbreadth escapes, gambling and gunfights, military expeditions, an famous frontier characters such as Wild Bill Hickok, Lonesome Charlie Reynolds, Buffalo Bill, Sheriden, Custer, and Indian cheifs Whislter, Yellow Wolf, Spotted Tail, and Sitting Bull.
