Theodore Roosevelt was an avid naturalist who worked hard to preserve and understand wildlife. As we know, he took a liking to the Badlands of the MidWest, and he impacted the lives of people as well as animals. Roosevelt was a well-liked man of power and vigor, and it is very clear to see that with the information given to us on the study tour of the badlands. Students who attended the study tour received a deeper understanding of Theodore Roosevelt, the badlands, and the plains buffalo. Obviously, before Theodore Roosevelt could become obsessed with the badlands, he had to go there first. This love started due to the help from Henry Honeychurch Gorringe, an ex-military man who worked for the government. Gorringe had been planning to open a private hotel, a hunting lodge, and a cattle syndicate in the MidWest. Roosevelt was intrigued with the West, mostly due to the broadcast of it in the papers. (p.27) The MidWest was considered a hunter's paradise in Roosevelt's eyes, there was a vast variety of wildlife that he had not seen before. Roosevelt's interest in the bison led to the meeting …show more content…
They were killed for glue and fertilizer, and sold for a profit. Americans and Native Americans did not get along, so naturally, the government wanted to take control and kill off the Native Americans. General Sheridan was in charge of this task, and he declared the in order for the Native Americans to go extinct, the buffalo should as well. Due to the small number of bison that were leftover, the bison currently alive are deeply genetically intermingled and lack genetic diversity. This is dangerous for the population and will likely eventually cause problems when trying to survive. Genetic diversity protects the bison from diseases, inbreeding, and their ability to adapt to new