In the vast expanse of the Great Plains, there once thundered a mighty presence, the American bison. When explorers first set foot on the untamed frontier, they were awestruck by a majestic sea of 30-million bison roaming free, their thundering hooves shaking the ground beneath them. By 1900, only a thousand remained in the entire country. The 20th century marked a significant turning point for the buffalo. Oklahoma conservationists, ranchers, showmen and oil men began to see the importance of the bison to the American West. They were bred, protected, and brought back from the brink of extinction. Today their descendants live on, thanks to the protection of Native tribes, philanthropists and federal preserves, Oklahoma is Where the Buffalo Roam.