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1 of 15Lithograph of an American Indian on horseback killing a bison. Circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress -
2 of 15Stereoscopic view of a Bison. Circa 1875.From the New York Public Library -
3 of 15A postcard illustrating Bison at water. Circa 1898-1931.From the New York Public Library -
4 of 15Herd of American Bison, browsing in safety, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Circa 1895-1920.From the New York Public Library -
5 of 15American bison, circa 1906.Library of Congress -
6 of 15Bison in the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Circa 1907.Library of Congress -
7 of 15An American bison, circa 1930.Hulton Archive—Getty Images -
8 of 15A herd of bison migrating south from Yukon. Circa 1930.Fox Photos—Getty Images -
9 of 15Bison herd in Arizona. 1935.Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone—Getty Images -
10 of 15On a ranch in southern Michigan; there are several hundred wild bison snorting and pawing the ground and ready to toss all intruders. 1945.Toronto Star Archives—Getty Images -
11 of 15A North American Bison, circa 1950s.Paul Popper—Popperfoto/Getty Images -
12 of 15Bison in the Witchita Mountains wildlife refuge. 1952.Bettman—Getty Images -
13 of 15Bison crowded together in a corner of one of their enclosures at Daniels Park.Ira Gay Sealy—The Denver Post/Getty Images -
14 of 15Well into his 20s, this white bull is one of the most photographed animals on the bison range at Moiese, Montana. 1957.The Denver Post—Getty Images -
15 of 15Herd of bison roaming across National Bison Range in Montana. 1961.George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The President signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law on Monday, making bison the country’s first national mammal. The animal is already a state symbol of Oklahoma, Kansas and Wyoming, and appears on the Wyo. and Kan. state flags.
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The law is the culmination of a four-year push by a coalition of more than 60 organizations, businesses, Native American tribes and wildlife advocates who hope that the recognition will help preserve the species in the future — despite bison almost going extinct at the turn of the 20th century. Experts believe the number of bison dropped from roughly 30 million bison in the 16th century to less than 1,000 by the late 19th century, due to a combination of environmental problems and economic demand for their hides, which drove overhunting. A national effort to reverse trend helped ferry the remaining ones to protected areas, and by the mid-20th century, the species had started to make a comeback.
MORE: Jared Leto: The Bison’s Comeback Is an American Epic
While roaming through this gallery of bison roaming, keep in mind that these are technically bison not buffalo—though Americans tend to use the terms interchangeably—because they have shorter horns and shoulder humps.
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