The American Bison

by Andy Hirsch

Published 1 June 2021
Following the success of Science Comics, First Second is launching a new nonfiction series: History Comics! These page-turning and gorgeously illustrated graphic novels allow you to experience history like never before! Fight for equality in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, train with the first civilian selected for a mission to space, help spark a rebellion at the Stonewall Riot, and so much more!

Turn back the clock to the early 18th century, when the American prairies shook under the hooves of nearly 30 million bison. Fast as a horse, tall as a person, and heavier than both combined, they roamed from coast to coast. A century later, people struggled to find a single one left alive. How did the great herds disappear, and what will it take to bring them back?

The year is 1863, and America is divided not just by the civil war but by months of travel over thousands of miles. Two railroad companies, one from the East and one from the West, are given the task of connecting the nation by rail. Building this railroad will be a monumental undertaking, difficult and dangerous. The work falls to immigrant laborers from the lowest social and economic classes. They accomplish astounding feats of engineering while waiting for an answer: Will those who connect the country be accepted into it?