Site History

Prairie History

Prairie Facts

References

Plant Species

1) Native Americans populated the prairie for 10,000 year, one person for every 5000 acres 

2) The prairie stretched from Southern Wisconsin to western Montana, from central Texas to Canada. 

3) Most prairie plants have existed for a million years. 

4) Prior to the Civil War 20 ? 60 million buffalo roamed the prairie. By 1900 less than a thousand were still alive. 

5) When cattlemen raised cattle the cattle grazed the land much more intensively then the buffalo. Thus the shorter, weedy annuals survived since they could tolerate the intensive grazing. However, the taller prairie plants died off. 

6) Barbed wire was first used in 1874 and covered much of the prairie within 15 years. 

7) By 1900 most of the Blackland Prairie was cultivated and grew very good stands of cotton. 

a. Unlike the native prairie which recycled the nutrients, the cultivated crops left the land and thus took the nutrients with them. 

8) Settlers of the prairie feared the natural fires. Therefore they put them out if possible. By doing this trees and other vegetation overtook the prairie plants. 

9) 1930's Dustbowl depleted much of the organic matter and ruined the lands cropping value.