Anne-Marie, Steve and I drove north to visit the National Monument yesterday morning, and this shows two views of the tower, quite impressive, the first is at the visitors center, second is from the northeast. The tower is a popular rock climbing site, as that is the only way to reach the top, but the Rangers had closed a few climbing routes, to protect nesting Prairie Falcons.
Once inside of the gate, we stopped and were entertained by a prairie dog community, Steve and Anne-Marie to the right.
We paused in the western town of Hulett for a few pictures, on our way to Aladdin for lunch at Cindy B’s Café.
The highlight of the day was a visit to this small site. The small visitor center is housed in a new log building, smaller than a house. The Vore Buffalo Jump excavation is in a small sinkhole in the prairie, owned by the Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation, and housed in this unimposing building at the bottom of the sink hole.
The American Natives used this site as a trap. They would herd or direct or stampede the animals to the sink hole, and the buffalo would tumble down the short bluff and be easier to harvest. There are over two hundred bluffs, or cliffs that were used in this manner in Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota. The earliest excavation is shown in the long trench on the left, and the current site on the right, with many items tagged.
A wide view of the interior space, and a small collection of arrow points, with descriptions of designs and dating method. The stone tools have been discovered throughout the dig.
We made a rest stop at this Visitors center just two miles from the Buffalo Jump, and we were amazed that it was setup with exhibits done as well as a museum.
Today we explore the town of Sundance, and visit the Crook County Museum.
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