Working Paper: NBER ID: w12969
Authors: M. Scott Taylor
Abstract: In the 16th century, North America contained 25-30 million buffalo; by the late 19th century less than 100 remained. While removing the buffalo east of the Mississippi took settlers over 100 years, the remaining 10 to 15 million buffalo on the Great Plains were killed in a punctuated slaughter in a little more than 10 years. I employ theory, data from international trade statistics, and first person accounts to argue that the slaughter on the plains was initiated by a foreign-made innovation and fueled by a foreign demand for industrial leather. Ironically, the ultimate cause of this sad chapter in American environmental history was of European, and not American, origin.
Keywords: Buffalo; International Trade; Extinction; Tanning Innovation
JEL Codes: F1; Q2; Q5; Q56
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| foreign innovation (F23) | punctuated slaughter of bison (N52) |
| foreign demand for bison hides (N52) | punctuated slaughter of bison (N52) |
| market forces (P42) | punctuated slaughter of bison (N52) |
| stable price for bison products (Q11) | punctuated slaughter of bison (N52) |
| open access conditions for hunting (Q26) | punctuated slaughter of bison (N52) |
| new tanning process (Q55) | punctuated slaughter of bison (N52) |
| introduction of tanning innovation (Y20) | influx of hunters (Q26) |
| influx of hunters (Q26) | increase in bison kills (N52) |
| increase in bison kills (N52) | decline in bison populations (N52) |
| bison hide exports (F10) | decrease in bison numbers (N52) |