When George Catlin traveled up the Missouri River into present-day Montana, he admired the Native American peoples of the Great Plains and observed the bison herds as one of their critical resources. Fearing that the looming decimation of bison would devastate the livelihoods of Native peoples, Catlin proposed the creation of a “nation’s park” in the 1830s to preserve both the bison herds and Native cultures of the Great Plains. The notion was ignored for forty years.
George Catlin (1796–1872). Buffalo Chase with Bows and Lances, 1832–1833. Oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985. 1985.55.410
