Rapid City's newest museum just opened earlier this year, and is dedicated to telling the story of the Great Plains' most iconic resident: the bison. The museum chronicles the history of North America's largest land animal from their evolutionary origins 5 million years ago to their modern struggles for survival.
It's a pretty unique museum; I can't think of another museum that's dedicated to one animal species. But it fits in well in the Black Hills since the bison has been such an important part of the region's history.
It's a pretty unique museum; I can't think of another museum that's dedicated to one animal species. But it fits in well in the Black Hills since the bison has been such an important part of the region's history.
The Bison Museum is located in the heart of Rapid City's charming downtown, at 6th and St. Joseph (nearest to Jimmy Carter's statue). Admission is free, although there is a donation box.
I visited in May of 2013, just a few weeks after their grand opening. A few exhibits were not quite in place yet - the small upstairs area that will house a photo and art gallery was still closed - but the main exhibits that tell the bison's story were in place, as well as a nice area in the back for kids, and a pretty extensive gift shop selling jewelry, books, shirts, and much more.
There is a short film you can watch to give an introduction to the museum, and there are video screens scattered throughout the museum that make your experience much more interactive.
I visited in May of 2013, just a few weeks after their grand opening. A few exhibits were not quite in place yet - the small upstairs area that will house a photo and art gallery was still closed - but the main exhibits that tell the bison's story were in place, as well as a nice area in the back for kids, and a pretty extensive gift shop selling jewelry, books, shirts, and much more.
There is a short film you can watch to give an introduction to the museum, and there are video screens scattered throughout the museum that make your experience much more interactive.
Ah, yes, the children's classic, "Who Pooped?" There is also a nice room in the back of the museum for children (though there is plenty for adults to learn as well). There is a digging station where kids can unearth bison bones in a sort of sandbox, and there is a tracking station, where kids can learn to identify Black Hills wildlife by the tracks and droppings they leave behind.
There are also a couple of nice interpretive exhibits back here. A hay bale is there to represent the amount of grass that one bison will eat in a day. Then there is a wheelbarrow full of buffalo chips. These droppings, which blessedly did not have an odor, were vital to the early pioneers as a source of fire fuel in an area where trees are scarce.
There are also a couple of nice interpretive exhibits back here. A hay bale is there to represent the amount of grass that one bison will eat in a day. Then there is a wheelbarrow full of buffalo chips. These droppings, which blessedly did not have an odor, were vital to the early pioneers as a source of fire fuel in an area where trees are scarce.
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Origins
The bison's story begins 5 million years ago in tropical southern Europe, where the first ancestors of the modern bison evolved. Over time, they gradually started to spread across all of Europe and much of Asia. Three separate waves of migrations brought various species of ancient bison into North America starting about 2 million years ago over the Bering Land Bridge, which once connected Alaska with Siberia. They spread through much of the continent, reaching as far south as Mexico.
The direct ancestor of North America's modern bison is Bison antiquus, which lived between 80,000 and 8,000 years ago. The museum displays its skull alongside that of the living species Bison bison so you can compare the changes.
There are actually two subspecies of bison in North America: the wood bison, which is found in Canada's far north, and the plains bison, which is the more abundant species found in the US and southern Canada. There is also a bison species that still survives in eastern Europe: the wisent bison.
The direct ancestor of North America's modern bison is Bison antiquus, which lived between 80,000 and 8,000 years ago. The museum displays its skull alongside that of the living species Bison bison so you can compare the changes.
There are actually two subspecies of bison in North America: the wood bison, which is found in Canada's far north, and the plains bison, which is the more abundant species found in the US and southern Canada. There is also a bison species that still survives in eastern Europe: the wisent bison.
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Native Americans who lived on the plains developed a very close relationship with the bison, as the bison was a major food source. They also used other inedible parts of the bison like the hide, bones, and organs to make useful items like bags, bows, and tipis. Native peoples were very mindful of the herds, killing only as many bison as they needed to ensure the herd would endure to provide food to future generations.
A bow made of bison sinew
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Parfleche and Quill Holder made from bison
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When the first white people arrived on the plains, they found massive herds of bison thousands strong. Lewis and Clark described seeing herds with so many animals that they "darkened the whole plains," and as late as 1869 pioneers described herds so large that "we never saw the other side." These huge herds, however, were not to last.
Decline and Extermination
The decline of the bison by organized hunting began as early as the 1840's. Fur trappers had driven the beaver to the brink of extinction and needed to turn to other sources of fur to satisfy the demands of European and American consumers. They turned to the bison, and buffalo robes soon came into fashion as a symbol of the American west.
Once the railroads came through, hunting bison and transporting their hides back east became much easier, and the slaughter intensified. As a novelty, railroad companies even began offering buffalo hunts to their passengers, allowing them the opportunity to shoot bison from the train.
The bison fur trade reached its zenith between 1872 and 1874. During those years an average of 5,000 bison were killed by hunters every day. The hunters took their hides and left the rest of the carcass to rot.
Once the railroads came through, hunting bison and transporting their hides back east became much easier, and the slaughter intensified. As a novelty, railroad companies even began offering buffalo hunts to their passengers, allowing them the opportunity to shoot bison from the train.
The bison fur trade reached its zenith between 1872 and 1874. During those years an average of 5,000 bison were killed by hunters every day. The hunters took their hides and left the rest of the carcass to rot.
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In addition to being hunted for their fur, bison were also a casualty of the US government's war against the continent's native people. The US wanted the Native Americans to move off of their ancestral lands and onto reservations so that their land could be given to white settlers. The US military commanders soon realized the great importance of the bison to the Native Americans' way of life, and they reasoned that the easiest way to defeat the Native Americans was to eradicate their food supply, which was, of course, the bison. General Sherman, the famous Civil War leader, even convinced President Grant to veto a bill that would have protected the bison from hunters.
By 1889, the herds were all but wiped out. And as the herds declined, the Native people who relied upon them for so much found it harder and harder to carry on with their traditional way of life.
This map illustrated the bison's decline. The red line outlines the area once inhabited by bison; the blue line shows their range in 1870, and the green line their range in 1880. Red dates list the year that bison were eliminated from a particular locality. The green numbers show the locations and numbers of bison remaining in 1889: 550 in a small area in far northern Canada, and only 275 in the US, split between five different locations.
By 1889, the herds were all but wiped out. And as the herds declined, the Native people who relied upon them for so much found it harder and harder to carry on with their traditional way of life.
This map illustrated the bison's decline. The red line outlines the area once inhabited by bison; the blue line shows their range in 1870, and the green line their range in 1880. Red dates list the year that bison were eliminated from a particular locality. The green numbers show the locations and numbers of bison remaining in 1889: 550 in a small area in far northern Canada, and only 275 in the US, split between five different locations.
Wild West Shows
Once the bison herds were decimated, the former bison hunters need to seek other employment. Some turned to the entertainment business and began operating Wild West Shows. These shows featured sharpshooting, trick horse riding, cattle roping, dances, reenactments and other performances that introduced the rest of the country to a romanticized version of the American west. The shows became wildly popular and toured across the eastern US and even as far as Europe.
The first, and most famous, of these shows was started in 1883 by Buffalo Bill Cody. Buffalo Bill rose to fame as a buffalo hunter for the transcontinental railway, where he personally killed 4,280 bison in a year and a half. His reputation had already made him a celebrity, and he parlayed that fame into a successful career in showbusiness that lasted 30 years. His show, and the many others like it, created a national passion and sense of nostalgia for the historic western culture.
We often think of the West as a male-dominated arena, but the museum does a great job of highlighting the women who starred in these shows. In fact, many of the most popular performers were women, who did all the same things the men did like riding, roping, and shooting. Most of us still know the name of Annie Oakley, famous as a sharpshooter, but there were countless others. May Lillie, a celebrated horse rider, loved nothing more than taming a bucking bronco. The Parry twins, Ethyle and Juanita, were among the best trick riders of their day, and even earned the nickname of the "Cossack Girls" for being as skilled with horses as the famed Russian Cossack cavalry.
The first, and most famous, of these shows was started in 1883 by Buffalo Bill Cody. Buffalo Bill rose to fame as a buffalo hunter for the transcontinental railway, where he personally killed 4,280 bison in a year and a half. His reputation had already made him a celebrity, and he parlayed that fame into a successful career in showbusiness that lasted 30 years. His show, and the many others like it, created a national passion and sense of nostalgia for the historic western culture.
We often think of the West as a male-dominated arena, but the museum does a great job of highlighting the women who starred in these shows. In fact, many of the most popular performers were women, who did all the same things the men did like riding, roping, and shooting. Most of us still know the name of Annie Oakley, famous as a sharpshooter, but there were countless others. May Lillie, a celebrated horse rider, loved nothing more than taming a bucking bronco. The Parry twins, Ethyle and Juanita, were among the best trick riders of their day, and even earned the nickname of the "Cossack Girls" for being as skilled with horses as the famed Russian Cossack cavalry.
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Conservation
Despite the fact that many of the impresarios of these Wild West Shows rose to fame as buffalo hunters, they ended up doing a lot to help the bison later in life. Many of them maintained herds for use in their shows, which gave a refuge for a sizable chunk of America's remaining bison. One former bison hunter, Charles J. "Buffalo" Jones, would come to feel great remorse for hie role in the decimation of the bison species, saying:
One of the bison's chief advocates was William Hornaday, a taxidermist for the Smithsonian. In the 1880's, Hornaday decided to do a census of the remaining bison in the plains. He was alarmed at how few were left and decided to take action. In 1888, he established the first captive herd at the National Zoo with the intent of preserving the species. In 1905, he established the American Bison Society, which was dedicated to preserving the country's remaining bison. There were initially only 14 members, but one of them was President Theodore Roosevelt, who proved to be a valuable supporter. Efforts were undertaken to relocate bison to protected government lands, such as the recently-established Yellowstone and Wind Cave National Parks. Buffalo Jones, Buffalo Bill, and many other western buffalo advocates soon joined the Society. Buffalo Jones was instrumental in rescuing the remnants of the southern bison herd from the Texas panhandle and returning them to his own Kansas ranch. These bison would be the basis for many of the public herds that would be established in the early 20th century.
American Bison Society members, with Hornaday in the center
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Timeline showing the sizes and locations of protected herds. Many of today's bison are descended from these few animals.
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Their efforts, and the efforts of many others, have paid off. At the end of the 19th century there were estimated to be less than 500 bison remaining, and today their numbers have increased back up to 400,000.
The bison has even evolved into a powerful symbol of the american west. Many companies in the early 20th century capitalized on its growing popularity by using bison imagery in advertising and marketing. A fitting tribute to the one-time master of the plains.
The bison has even evolved into a powerful symbol of the american west. Many companies in the early 20th century capitalized on its growing popularity by using bison imagery in advertising and marketing. A fitting tribute to the one-time master of the plains.
Visit the Bison Museum's website here.
Visiting Rapid City? Check out downtown's presidential statues while you're there!
Visiting Rapid City? Check out downtown's presidential statues while you're there!
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