The photo demonstrates the extensive slaughter of the bison: from around 60 million in 1800 to as few as 750 in 1890.
"Bison were hunted almost to extinction in the late 19th century primarily by market hunters and were reduced to a few hundred by the mid-1880s. They were hunted for their skins, with the rest of the animal left behind to decay on the ground."
Yeah... but we weren't wasteful at least...