There's A Buffalo Museum In North Dakota And It's Full Of Fascinating Oddities, Artifacts, And More
By Tori Jane|Published November 08, 2021
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Tori Jane
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Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
When people think of North Dakota’s wild animal populations, they usually think of one or two creatures – horses and bison. Well, bison just happen to be so wonderful (and so important to North Dakota’s ecosystem and native heritage) that there’s a whole museum dedicated to these majestic creatures hiding in Jamestown. The National Buffalo Museum in North Dakota is an unusual – but still incredibly interesting – look at the lives, histories, and cultural significance of the great American buffalo.
The National Buffalo Museum has a simple mission: to aid in the conservation of - and education about - the beautiful, if not intimidating, buffalo.
In the late 1800s, buffalo were nearly totally eradicated by over-hunting and a rather brutal effort to rid the land of Native Americans who depended on the herds for food. No buffalo, no Natives - at least that's what the logic was back then.
Despite the truly disturbing history behind the near-eradication of these beautiful animals, some of them managed to make it through, though by the time it was all over they were incredibly endangered.
There had, at one time, been up to 60 million bison in North America; by 1889, there were only about 540 remaining.
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Today, however, thanks to conservation efforts including those at the Buffalo Museum in North Dakota, these majestic creatures are no longer endangered.
The museum itself has two herds that call it home; each is located on either side of I-94, and you can even see them from the road most of the time! They're fascinating to watch; it's definitely worth a visit just to hang out with these guys for a little while.
The museum is obviously focused on the buffalo, but there are plenty of other things to explore as well, like Native American artwork, history, and their cultural and spiritual connections to the American buffalo.
Since opening in 1993, the museum has seen countless guests.
Have you ever been to this intriguing and unusual (but oh-so-North Dakota) museum? Tell us about your favorite exhibits in the comments! For more information about the museum, including hours and ticket prices (as well as a calendar of upcoming events and exhibits), make sure to visit the official website.
For more interesting fun facts about North Dakota and the people who call it home, take a look at this list of the ten things everyone in North Dakota will totally do before they die.
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