Today is the 8th day of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. If you're just joining in, this is a blogging challenge where Monday through Saturday bloggers post about a topic that matches a letter of the alphabet. Some of us are using themes, others are just blogging about what comes to mind. This year, I chose history as my theme. I try to be diverse with my topics, but I am partial to early American history.
Hunting has been a popular sport for a long time. Though my family and I don't engage in this activity, we know many people who are avid hunters. According to Old-Timey Sportsmen, hunting for meat, skins, feathers, and bone began before the arrival of Homo sapiens. Early weapons were rocks and sticks, but as time progressed sharpened spears and chipped stone points were useful. The development of the firearm, however, was a huge breakthrough.
In America, buffalo hunting as a profession got underway during the Civil War, aided by large caliber .58 rifles left over from the war. Breechloading weapons soon followed. As white settlers moved west, buffalo hunting as a sport had a negative impact on Native Americans who depended upon buffalo hunting to survive. Tensions rose between Native Americans and the white man leading to violence, while Native Americans fought to hold on to their way of life. By the end of the Frontier era, the population of Native Americans and buffalo had steeply declined.
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