In this early watercolor Russell shows a group of Blackfoot Indians, having ascended a hill to observe a large herd of buffalo moving in the distance. The central figure, clearly the leader of the group, holds a crooked lance and wears the elaborate headdress of a member of a warrior society. Russell appears to show some of the Indians sitting on their shields, which would have been difficult if not impossible. The decorative beadwork that can be seen on the figures is typical of the reservation period (1890s), but not of the earlier period Russell sought to represent in this watercolor. By the time this watercolor was painted, the buffalo—or more accurately, the American bison—was extinct in the wild. The primary herd in captivity was located within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, but even there the beleagured animal was not safe. By 1900 poachers had reduced the herd to fewer than twenty-five survivors, and the U.S. Congress was finally moved to action. Stiff laws were enacted that made the killing of a buffalo punishable by imprisonment, and money was allocated to purchase additional stock from private preserves. With these measures, the herd began to grow, and today the animals thrive within the park’s boundaries.