Archaeological dig looking to prove buffalo jump - KOTA Territory News

Archaeological dig looking to prove buffalo jump

A research team at Wind Cave National Park looked to establish a piece of the past through more than just bones and dirt.

Archaeologists are exploring a piece of land on the Sanson Ranch within Wind Cave National Park believed to be the location of a "buffalo jump."

The act of a "buffalo jump" saw a group of prehistoric Indians lead a pack of buffalo off a cliff, that the large animals would not survive.

The dig will take three weeks to complete before archaeologists head back to Lincoln, NE for further examination.

"We're looking to see if there are remains of Buffalo that would've be driven over the cliff and we're also looking for materials that the Indians would've used to process the Buffalo," said Anne Vawser, head of the archaeological team.

"But it's pretty rare to have something like this going on in the park and we're very excited about it. And we're hoping it will give us enough information that we can adequately interpret this site to future generations," said Tom Farrell of the National Park Service.

Investigations in 1972 and 73 by Dr. Larry Agenbroad indicated that the site was a possible location of a "buffalo jump."