First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park in Ulm, Montana - Friday, June 17, 2022

We woke up to a gorgeous, cloudless day that was going to get hot fast. Today is all about First Peoples and the buffalo. (And maybe Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center to finish up the exhibits we missed yesterday.) The First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park Visitor Center opened at 10 am and we were right there, ready to sponge up more information.

Looking up at the cliffs where the buffalo jumped.

Here's the state park's description of the buffalo jump:

"Native peoples used this site for at least a thousand years before Lewis and Clark passed through here. The buffalo jump site consists of a mile-long sandstone cliff; there are remnants of drive lines on top of the cliff and there are up to 18 ft. of compacted buffalo remains below the cliff. The park has an interpretive trail, picnic tables, and a black-tailed prairie dog town to help the visitor better understand the epic history of hunting on the high plains…

"…For hundreds of years, Indians stampeded buffalo over the mile-long cliff. Now the top of the jump provides expansive panoramic views of the Rocky Mountain Front, the Missouri River Valley, and the buttes and grasslands that characterize this High Plains setting. Plan at least a two-hour stop in this day-use-only park."

Actually, we were a little bit early, so we read the exhibit outside the door.

Good to know.

Once inside, the buffalo hide on the wall (photo below) caught our eye. Native Americans use buffalo hides to tell their stories. There can be many stories on one hide. If you know the figures, you can "read" the stories. 

"Lost Culture," by Chandler Good Strike.
Tanned buffalo hide (2007).

Below, you can read about the First Peoples from this area.

Once we learned about the tribes, it was time to make our acquaintance with the buffalo and their relationship to the Native Americans. Basically, the buffalo provided everything the Indians needed except water. But even a vessel to carry water was culled from the buffalo.

The buffalo runner.

The buffalo follow the buffalo runner.

The buffalo hunt: note the hunter draped in a 
wolf skin. They helped steer the buffalo to the cliff.

A hunter in a wolf skin.

Buffalo hides are used for tipis, clothing, moccasins,
travois, rugs, blankets and other items for daily use.

A travois stands against the back wall of the tipi
and buffalo hide rugs are on the floor.

Timeline of significant historical events.

When the white man arrived, buffalo were
taken to the point of extinction.

How the buffalo were repopulated.

It was getting hot outside and we had a three-mile hike to do. We put on sunscreen, grabbed our sun hats and water and started off on a hike up to the buffalo jump. Driving was an option, but we love walking and getting a feel for a place.

A tipi was set up outdoors.

Bob at the beginning of the three-mile trail
at First Peoples Buffalo Jump State park.

A Western meadowlark serenaded us as
we walked by.

Meadow death-camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum).

The trail gradually takes us up the cliff 
going counterclockwise.

A view of the Missouri River Valley.

Spurge (Euphorbia).

Thistle art.

Phacelia.

We are almost to the top of the cliff.

Cacti living on a rock.

Bob just keeps on going. I have 
stopped to breathe.

The orange plant is Desert Globemallow
(Sphaeralcea ambigua).

The cliff at First Peoples Buffalo Jump in Ulm, Montana.

Someone killed this rattlesnake. We reported
it to the rangers at the Visitor Center.

The trail was not well marked. Bob and I got to a junction (where we saw the rattlesnake) and had a discussion about which way to go. Bob went up one trail and said we could take it, but it was quite rocky. We opted to take the "mowed" trail.

The Missouri River Valley.

Looking west toward a butte and the
Rocky Mountain Front.

I don't know why, but we didn't expect to see prairie dogs up here. Apparently, prairie dogs and buffalo live together well.

We are not running. We are walking toward the edge, carefully.

We are at the top; heading down now.

We get the message!

Bob standing at the edge of the buffalo jump.

This is the mile-long cliff.

Going down. It would have been a lot harder
to take the trail clockwise. We would have had
to climb up this.

One of the buffalo jump paths
came over this cliff. 

You can see how rough the trail is here.

Looking up at the cliff. The buffalo would
have fallen down here.

Cool rock swirl.

Rugged landscape.

Yellow prickly-pear cacti.

A tarantula. The rangers couldn't believe there 
was a tarantula here. They're wondering if
someone had a pet they let loose.

Looking up at where we were.

What the settlers saw.

The trail back to the Visitor Center (behind me).

One of North America's oldest, most used
travel corridors is just west of here. This is what 
the First People experienced for hundreds of years.

The grasses beneath our feet.

This hike has given us so much to think about. We can picture the First Peoples living here for years on end. The earth provided their sustenance. If they didn't like the weather (or the neighboring warring tribes), they could move of their own free will. The Indians only used what they needed to survive. They did not wipe out the buffalo but lived in harmony with them.

When the trappers, gold seekers, those seeking "Manifest Destiny," and government came in, they took away the First People's means of sustenance--the land they lived on, their main food and shelter source (buffalo)--and tried to take their spirit by condemning them to live on reservations and give up their language and their beliefs. Definitely a sad time in human history.

We finished our exploration of the state park and went to get lunch. The afternoon was ahead of us and we decided to go back to the Lewis & Clark Historic Trail Interpretive Center and finish touring it. Some of these items cover subjects we saw yesterday but didn't finish.

Caches…

On the way west, Lewis & Clark needed to store supplies that they could retrieve on their return trip the following year. They made caches.

What was stored in the cache?

Heading west, after the mountains…

The Native Americans…

Yesterday, we saw exhibits about the Plains Indians. Lewis & Clark were headed west and had made it into the mountains where they encountered Columbia Plateau Indians, the Nez Perce. The Nez Perce were their guides until The Dalles.

Camas root pit oven.

Nimiipu (Nez Perce) home.

The Pacific Coast…

The Corps of Discovery found the route across the continent to the Pacific Ocean.

The Return Trip - March to September 1806…Lewis and Clark split up; Captain Lewis went north, and Captain Clark headed south.

Travelers Rest is where Lewis & Clark split up
on the return trip.

July 8, 1806 - caches were reopened
on the return trip.

July 26, 1806.

August 11, 1806.

Lewis was hit by a musket ball on August 11, 1806.

August 12, 1806.

Hurrying home…

In all, a lot came out of this cross-country trip. 

• Scores of new flora and fauna were discovered by Lewis & Clark.
• A large area of the country was mapped.
• Much was learned about the Native Americans.
• A route was discovered to the Pacific Ocean.

We feel like we have immersed ourselves in the history of the state of Montana and have learned so much about the Native Americans, as well as added to our knowledge of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. I was exhausted. 

Bob, however, decided to see the Voyagers baseball game. I stayed in the 5th wheel and took it easy. Bob enjoyed going to see the game. Both of us were happy with our decisions.

Stay tuned to find out what we do tomorrow. TravelBug out.