Buffalo: Sacred & Sacrificed

by Grant MacEwan, Gordon R Kerr (Epilogue), Ronald W Pauls (Epilogue)

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 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. It is a remarkable account of where the buffalo once roamed-and of their amazing step back from the brink of extinction.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2003

About the author

John Walter Grant MacEwan, best known as Grant MacEwan (August 12, 1902 – June 15, 2000) was a farmer, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Canada.

MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta and the MacEwan Student Centre at the University of Calgary as well as the neighbourhoods of MacEwan Glen in Calgary and MacEwan in Edmonton are named after him.

Reviews

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off strong, but about 2/3 of the way I found it a chore to pick up the book. The author focuses on how the bison were lost and then reintroduced to the plains of Canada. I just found the book to be dry like a text book. If you want to read about the plight of the north american bison, there are better books out there.