Posted in North Dakota
February 14, 2018
3 Rare Photos Taken During The Dakota Thunder Construction That Will Simply Astound You
One of North Dakota’s iconic roadside attractions is Dakota Thunder, a towering buffalo sculpture that was named the world’s largest. You have probably seen it, even if just in photos. But what you probably haven’t seen is what it looked like in the time of its construction. Luckily, there are a handful of rare images that show what building the huge monument looked like from inside out. Take a look:
The World's Largest Buffalo is located in Jamestown, North Dakota and is one of the state's most popular attractions. It is part of the National Buffalo Museum, located right next to it, and overlooks both the city and a herd of live bison grazing in a pasture below.
The sculpture was commissioned from artist and local college professor Elmer Petersen. It was estimated to have cost $4,600 to construct. Today, that would be almost $40,000.
The wire mesh allowed for the overall shape of the statue to be formed.
In this photo, you see it in its very last stages of construction. Notably, you can also see the artist's original sculpture and concept for the big guy right next to it. That sculpture is what was used to build Dakota Thunder at a much bigger scale.
Dakota Thunder was given a fresh coat of paint and also bigger, more realistic horns that would be similar to a real bison. Today, he still stands tall over Jamestown.
You can visit the World’s Largest Buffalo yourself at 500 17th St SE, Jamestown, ND 58401, at the National Buffalo Museum. Click here for more information about the museum
North Dakota has luckily been well documented with photography over the years to show just how much things have changed compared to a century ago.
