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Maps

See Territories Over Time

Buffalo once roamed North America by the millions, and Native people relied on them for everything from food to tools and shelter. In recent history, there has been a focus on prioritizing the High Plains for agriculture and cattle grazing. Today, we aim to find balance by restoring wildlife species, like Buffalo, and co-managing lands in holistic, traditional ways.

Historical Tribal Land Claims

shrinking native american land claims map
Map showing original Native American territories.

Shrinking Tribal Land Claims

Shrinking Tribal Land Claims

Treaties & Agreements

Click the image below to view the slideshow.
Start of Slideshow
Slide 1: The Fort Bridger Treaty of 1863 established the Shoshone Reservation at 44 million acres.
Slide 2: The Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868 reduced the reservation significantly. Across the nation, Tribal lands were reduced from 138 million acres in 1887 to 48 million acres by 1934.
Slide 3: The Eastern Shoshone lost 41 million acres of land in the Fort Laramie Treaty.
Slide 4: The Bruno Cession of 1872 - Gold was discovered in South Pass, which led to negotiations for the southern portion of the Eastern Shoshone Reservation. Finalized in 1874, the Tribe received $25,000 in compensation.
Slide 5: In the McLaughlin agreement of 1896, ten square miles of hot springs land were ceded to the government for $50,000.
Slide 6: In 1904, 1.5 million acres were ceded to the government for an irrigation district. During this time, the Riverton Reclamation Project was established.
Slide 7: In 1939, portions of lands were returned to the Tribes by federal statute (minus the Reclamation Project).
Slide 8: The Wind River Roadless Area
End of Slideshow

Wind River Buffalo Program

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Start of Slideshow
Slide 1: The Buffalo programs exist between lands that were lost to homesteading and the wilderness area protected by the Tribes for conservation.
Slide 2: The Buffalo program lives in the heart of the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Slide 3: In 1988, fee lands were purchased by the Shoshone Tribe. In 2009, the land was set aside to support Buffalo restoration.
Slide 4: The Morton Property was purchased in partnership with the PH Foundation. This is headquarters for the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative and the site of a future quarantine program. Facilities are used for cultural and educational purposes, to facilitate youth and community reconnection with the Buffalo.
Slide 5: Tribal land leases acquired through Tribal Councils and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are included in the expansion.
Slide 6: Over 460 acres has been purchased with the help of the pH Foundation.
Slide 7: Another 220 acres is being leased with an option to purchase.
Slide 8: The Northern Arapaho enclosure contains 32 Buffalo with 600 acres.
Slide 9: An additional 400 acres of habitat is being fenced, bringing the total to 1,000 acres.
Slide 10: This map shows the current entirety of both the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Buffalo Programs in Wind River.
Slide 11: The Buffalo expansion area includes a 17k acre range unit, managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.Retiring grazing permits provide the opportunity to shift the land to wildlife habitat, which prioritizes ecological integrity and traditional values.
Slide 12: This critical wildlife habitat area includes the Wind River Roadless Area.
Slide 13: Over 65% of the Wind River Indian Reservation is considered “range land” by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This is currently divided into 92 grazing units with a priority on cattle grazing.
Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes in the Wind River Mountains.
Slide 15: The Owl Creek Mountain Range to the north contains even more suitable Buffalo habitat at roughly 800 acres.
End of Slideshow

What does the future look like?

There are more opportunities on the horizon for Buffalo restoration in Wind River, such as collaborating with National Parks and National Forests on wildlife co-management.

We are also working on establishing a corridor to transfer conservation Buffalo from Yellowstone to Wind River, for quarantine and re-distribution to other Tribes for more program expansion.

If you’re interested in helping to further these programs, you can help by donating to the National Wildlife Federation.

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