Buffalo Tales & Trails Home - Buffalo Tales and Trails

The Incredible Shrinking Buffalo

by Gene Gade | Aug 10, 2022 | Blog | 2 Comments

The small party of Native American hunters were excited when they discovered a herd of bison grazing on open high prairie near some large hills connected by a steep ridge. The experienced and opportunistic hunters quickly noted that the terrain favored them. Several arroyos, perhaps 30 feet deep and a hundred feet wide at their mouths, cut into the crumbly red sedimentary siltstone that formed the base of one hill. These erosion features looked like possible escape routes to the bison, but their channels narrowed quickly so that they essentially became small box canyons. The hunters recognized that, if they were to drive their prey into the gullies, the walls would be too steep for the bison to climb and the animals would have no room to maneuver. The hunters could then get close enough to the large beasts and dispatch them with atlatl darts while standing safely on the rim of the arroyo. The Indians executed their plan, killed a number of bison and butchered them where they lay.The...

BSC Bison Symposium, June 22-25, 2022, Part 2

by Francie M. Berg | Jul 26, 2022 | Blog | 4 Comments

On Friday afternoon, June 24, 2022, the two buses on tour for the BSC Dakota Bison Symposium continued by visiting the Johnson buffalo herd. Jim Strand—manager and herdsman—circles the herd with his feed wagon and the buffalo come running. Photo Credit Kathy Berg Walsh.

BSC Bison Symposium-June 22-25, 2022

by Francie M. Berg | Jul 12, 2022 | Blog | 0 Comments

The BSC Dakota Bison Symposium kicked off with a pre-conference evening meal in the 4th floor showplace in the Energy Building for invited speakers—some just flying in—committee members and bus hosts on Wed evening June 22, 2022. The 4th floor dining room provides guests a spectacular view of the blue Missouri River rolling away toward the southeast through this great valley of big old cottonwood trees. We can see two bridges plus the old Northern Pacific railroad bridge barely discernable through the gnarly cottonwood trees at the far right. Photo credit Francie M Berg.

Vore Buffalo Jump—Part 2

by Francie M. Berg | Jun 28, 2022 | Blog | 0 Comments

The Vore Jump site is considered important because of its location and the period of time it was used for buffalo hunting. Literally it is located a stone’s throw from a major highway—I-90—the longest transcontinental freeway and interstate highway in the US which crosses the US from Boston to Seattle (3,021 miles; 4,862 km). This northernmost transcontinental route was established in 1956, so it sees lots of traffic, especially in summer with families traveling to mountain vacation lands. In fact, it made a rare curve to avoid the Vore Buffalo Jump itself—which was discovered by highway engineers surveying the I-90 route. Because it is on a major route, people on the Vore Foundation board point out that their Buffalo Jump is the most accessible of the major Plains Indian sites to the traveling public. “Thus it provides a perfect physical context for illuminating Plains Indian culture and history and presenting it to visitors.” The importance of the Vore Jump is that it marks a clear...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

Hi Everyone

Welcome to each of YOU who joins us on this incredible journey!! Together, we’ll share history and the wonderful buffalo stories that never grow old, that are told over and over, around campfires, in classrooms and at family gatherings!

Our Mission is to change the buffalo story to include the full heroic narrative of the magnificent buffalo, ordinary people Native and non-Native, saving them from extinction, caring for them and now all of us enjoying our amazing National Mammal on ranches, parks and tribal lands.

Our FREE Blog arrives every other Tuesday with a new Blog, News, Upcoming Events and Photos, it is written by Francie M. Berg, teacher and author of Buffalo Heartbeats, winner of 3 national awards. If you live on far distant shores—we bring you virtual buffalo tours to enlighten and delight from your armchair! We love having YOU aboard!! Subscriptions are FREE.

Let’s celebrate all things buffalo!

NEWS ARTICLE

Attorney General Knudsen asks federal panel to overturn BLM’s bison grazing decision

HELENA – August 26, 2022 Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen today asked a federal board to overturn the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision to grant a permit change allowing bison grazing in Phillips County. The permit is a part of the American Prairie Reserve’s broader effort to expand bison grazing on the plains across northern and eastern Montana. Attorney General Knudsen’s appeal asks the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Hearings and Appeals to overturn the decision and...

UPCOMING EVENTS

Feb 11, 2023. Dakota Dynamite Buffalo Sale Simulcast Auction. South Dakota.

Feb 24, 2023. Beltway Bison Consignment Auction. Pennsylvania.

Feb 25, 2023. Manitoba Bison Assocation Great Spirit Sale. Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.

Mar 9, 2023. Eastern Bison Association Winter Conference. Check for conference updates at the following link: https://www.ebabison.org/

Mar 10, 2023. Alberta Bison Assoication Wildrose Auction. Camrose, Alberta, Canada.

Mar 11, 2023. Missouri Bison Association & Oklahoma Bison Association Show & Sale. Missouri.

Mar 11, 2023. Irish Creek Bull Sale. Camrose, Alberta, Canada.

Mar 25, 2023. Saskatchewan Bison Association Cream of the Crop Sale. Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Mar 30, 2023. Jack Auction Group Video Auction. Online.

Apr 27, 2023. Jack Auction Group Video Auction. Online.