When was the great buffalo slaughter?

The great buffalo slaughter primarily took place in the late 19th century, particularly between the 1870s and 1880s. This period saw the near-extermination of the American bison, driven by commercial hunting and the expansion of railroads into the Great Plains. By the end of the 1880s, the buffalo population had drastically declined from millions to just a few hundred individuals, significantly impacting Native American cultures and the ecosystem.