NeighingGoofs

Interesting! The impression I'd gotten from watching Dances With Wolves in my history class was that it was simply waste and short-sightedness.

Still, the article does offer another explanation as well.

In 1870, a bull hide sold for $3.50. One frontiersman, Frank Mayer, figured if he spent 25 cents on each round of ammo, then “every time I fired one I got my investment back twelve times over.”