Where the Prairie Meets the Sky
Standing on the edge of the buffalo jump with the wind whipping across the tall grass of the plateau, you can get a sense of the magnitude of a buffalo drive and how the entire community had to work together to orchestrate a successful hunt. The vast landscape of the Rocky Mountain Front to the west and the Missouri River Valley, buttes and grasslands to the east would have combined with the massive size of these animals in large numbers to create a feeling of enormity under the famed “big sky” of the region. Everything about this experience would have been massive.
The Art of the Buffalo Hunt
For hundreds of years, the indigenous peoples of Montana found cliffs protruding from the otherwise flat landscape where they could strategically press a herd of bison into a carefully designed run. A young man, known as a buffalo runner, was trained to mingle with the herd dressed in bison hides, gaining the trust of the giant beasts. On the day of the run, he would sprint ahead of the herd with all the speed his legs could provide, while other community members stood along the edge of the run to create a chute and frighten the animals onward. When the boy reached the cliff, he dropped over the edge onto a small ledge not far below, just like he had practiced, while the bison sailed over the top of him and smashed onto the ground below, heaping up in a pile of meat, hides, and bones for tools.
North America’s Largest Jump
Although there are about three hundred bison jump sites across Montana, the jump at First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park in Ulm, Montana, just a short drive from Great Falls, is thought to be the largest in North America. This remarkable site features a mile-long sandstone cliff rising above the prairie grass. At the base of the cliff, archaeologists discovered compacted buffalo remains at a depth of eighteen feet.
Native Americans are generally thought to have been resourceful with the kills from their hunts, letting nothing go to waste, but the sheer number of bison crushed in a single run over the cliff was more than a community could process in the massive mound of rapidly rotting flesh. The practice was discontinued when horses were introduced and more efficient methods of hunting made the waste of a jump unnecessary.
“Uncle” Buffalo: The Center of Plains Life
The bison was central to life for the Plains Indians. They provided food, shelter, clothing, tools, and a spiritual presence that guided them. Some called the buffalo “Uncle” because of the vital role the animal had in their survival and understanding of the world around them. As long as there were buffalo, the people flourished.
“The buffalo was part of us, its flesh and blood being absorbed by us until it became our own flesh and blood. Our clothing, our tipis, everything we needed for life came from the buffalo’s body. It was hard to say where the animal ended and the man began.” (John Lame Deer, Sioux, 1972)
Experiencing the Park Today
Today, First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park preserves the history and culture of the buffalo jumps in the context of this local landscape. The exhibit in the Visitor Center takes guests into the world of the people who once lived here and the wildlife that filled the grasslands surrounding the jump. Classes and workshops in the outdoor amphitheater lead visitors into an experience of discovery and understanding. The International Traditional Games Society based in Great Falls holds games training events at the park, re-introducing nearly lost traditional native games that were preserved through oral traditions and ethnology reports.
Trails and Natural Wonders
More than three miles of hiking trails lead guests from the Visitor Center to the top and bottom of the buffalo jump, through the protected black-tailed prairie dog town, and across the open grassland that supported so much diversity of plants and animals.
From Dawn to Dark: A Photographer’s Paradise
Photographers could plan an entire day of capturing ever-changing scenery throughout the day, from sunrise through the changing moods of sunlight and clouds, sunset, and the beautiful Milky Way rising overhead.
Full moon hikes and stargazing events give guests an experience on the prairie similar to what the native tribes would have experienced as they stepped out of their tipis during the night, connecting modern visitors to the ancient rhythms of life on the plains.
Plan Your Trip
CLICK HERE to learn more about First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, including hours of operations, admission fees, and calendar of events.
