Visiting the National Buffalo Museum, Jamestown ND
By John Roberts
@JohnRoberts (109865)
Los Angeles, California
October 19, 2018 6:25am CST
The main tourist attraction of Jamestown is Frontier Village which is a collection of old time western buildings turned touristy type businesses. There are two buffalo related attractions within Frontier Village. “Dakota Thunder” is the world’s largest buffalo. In 1959, the city decided it needed an attraction to draw tourism off the newly built interstate. So in 1960 Dakota Thunder was dedicated. He is monstrous at 26 feet high, 46 feet in length and weighing 60 tons. Photo op time.
After visiting Dakota Thunder, it is a short drive to the National Buffalo Museum dedicating to preserving bison. There is an introductory video then the museum covers evolution and history of bison, their importance to Indians and near extinction at the hands of white hunters. You can compare a 10,000-year-old bison skeleton with a recent one.
There are Indian artifacts of tools they used on bison and items made from them. Buffalo artwork of paintings and sculptures. A number of hides and an 1879 buffalo robe. Cups and spoons carved from bones. A rifle collection of the type of weapons used to bring them down.
An exhibit is devoted to the efforts in bringing back bison from the brink and establishing herds that are protected. The museum maintains a small herd that lives down in a ravine behind the building. Visitors can go out onto an observation deck for a look but no luck for this visitor. The buff must have been sleeping someplace hidden.
The herd boasts a rare white buffalo, an albino named Dakota Miracle. His albino mother White Cloud lived at the museum for 20 years and after dying, was stuffed and now exhibited in the museum. All things buffalo can be found here.
It should also be noted Jamestown was birthplace to famed western author Louis L’amour and he is celebrated as favorite son.
National Buffalo Museum ND Acoustic Guitar 1 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by...
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12 responses
@snowy22315 (168421)
• United States
20 Oct 18
I would enjoy visting that museum. I think herds of bufalo are now as far east as Nebraska..and Minn, maybe some even in Illinois.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43451)
• Denver, Colorado
2 Nov 18
I like buffalo. They are really cool. The city of Denver actually owns a buffalo herd. They are located in a valley off I-70,and you can usually spot them down there as you drive by. One morning we were headed up to Vail to do some snowboarding, and they were grazing right there inside the fence next to the freeway. That was really cool.
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@thislittlepennyearns (57983)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
19 Oct 18
I could do with some buffalo wings after reading this.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (57983)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
19 Oct 18
@JohnRoberts yep.
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@arthurchappell (45004)
• Preston, England
19 Oct 18
sounds a great museum. A 60 ton buffalo sounds scary
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@FourWalls (61319)
• United States
19 Oct 18
Except the Buffalo Bills. They should be extinct.....
You’re really telling me I need to get to North Dakota.
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@yoalldudes (35042)
• Philippines
19 Oct 18
The bufallo is an awe-inspiring creature because of its size.
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