The development of the Comstock took a toll on the Northern Paiute Native American population of the region, but they adapted and even prospered in ways which seemed unlikely. Prior to contact with Euro-Americans, the Native American population of the Great Basin was well adapted to the fragile, arid environment, living in seasonally mobile bands and coming together for collective hunts or harvests. When trappers, travelers, and settlers began moving into the Great Basin in the 1840s, Native Americans had to adapt to the changing culture and environment.