First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park
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First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park
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.jpg) Tipi at the visitor center. In the background a section of the Buffalo Jump |
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| location | Cascade County in Montana (USA) | |
| Geographical location | 47 ° 29 ' N , 111 ° 32' W | |
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| Setup date | 1972 | |
| administration | Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Parks | |
The First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park is a culturally and historically significant reserve and recreation area located 20 km southwest of Great Falls in Cascade County in the US state of Montana . The 600 hectare state park is located at an altitude of 1095 m above sea level and was called Ulm-Pishkun State Park until 2007 . In 2004 16,782 visitors could be counted.
history
The state park contains a buffalo jump nearly one mile wide . For centuries, a total of 14 different peoples used the area by rounding up bison on the plateau, panicking them and controlling the stampede so that the bison fell over the edge of the rock to their death. Various markings and lines can still be found on the plateau with which the hunters could orientate themselves. A fast runner disguised as a bison was positioned as a decoy in the direction of the cliff . He had the dangerous task of luring the frightened animals in his direction and jumping over the edge of the rock in front of their eyes at a suitable place and to get to safety under a ledge. The bison that followed were able to discover the dangerous spot too late, but could not slow down or evade because the panicked animals behind them pushed them on. More armed hunters were waiting at the foot of the slope to only kill injured animals and process them after the hunt. The oldest finds of bison bones, arrowheads and tools on the area can be dated to the 3rd century.
At the beginning of the 18th century the place lost its importance because hunting habits changed due to the horses that were now available and less personnel-intensive forms of hunting became possible. It remained almost unused for over 100 years. In the 1890s, sandstone was quarried from which, among other things, churches were built in today's capital, Helena . In the middle of the 20th century the practical value of the innumerable bison bones was discovered, some of which formed layers up to five meters thick. Between 1945 and 1957 150 tons of phosphorus-rich bison bones were mined to produce fertilizers and ammunition . In addition, souvenir hunters were on the way, digging the ground for arrowheads and other usable objects.
In the late 1950s, the rancher put an end to these activities by buying up the property and banning further overexploitation and looting. In the early 1970s, the area was finally transferred to the state administration of Fish, Wildlife & Parks , and in 1972 the Ulm-Pishkun State Park was established. The park was largely ignored for another 20 years until Montana State University carried out archaeological studies in the early 1990s that led to a rethink. Area extensions and the construction of a 550 m² visitor center were the result. The park administration focused on imparting knowledge from the perspective of the different tribes with their customs and traditions. These include Pend d'Oreille , Schoschonen , Assiniboine , Blackfoot , Cree , Gros Ventre and Salish . Since the year 2000 there has been an Atlatl competition for talented javelin throwers and the Native American Culture Fair every September .
Naming
In 2001 a park management plan was tackled, within the framework of which the naming was also discussed. In 1972, the naming of the Ulm-Pishkun State Park was based on its geographical proximity to the town of Ulm , which in turn is named after a white settler of German descent. Pishkun is a term from the Blackfoot language and can be translated as "blood kettle". With the new archaeological findings, this old name was felt to be inappropriate because it set a wrong focus. A new unique name was sought and, in consultation with various tribes, the decision was made for "First People Buffalo Jump State Park", a name that encompasses both the diversity and origins of the traditional users, as well as the purpose of bison hunting. The name change officially took place in March 2007.
fauna and Flora
Ironically, there are no bisons in the park so far because the park administration seems to have too much effort to look after a herd and there are concerns that a small herd could degenerate into a bison petting zoo. At the foot of the cliffs is a two-hectare colony of prairie dogs that are just as vigilant as cottontail rabbits because of rattlesnakes . Black widows like to populate holes in the ground that are not used by them . Golden Eagle , Meadowlark and Lark populates the air during Pronghorn the grassland with RANGES dung beetles and grasshoppers as Melanoplus packardii share.
Needle-and-thread grass ( Stipa comata ) , Western Wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) and Blue Bunch wheatgrass among the native grasses, while in the Eurasian region originating comb couch grass was settled in the 1950s and 1960s to the previously used industrially brownfields. Opuntia , nettles and thistles should be consumed with caution, whereas the common yarrow has hemostatic properties. Goldcurrant and Prunus virginiana are edible plants that grow in shady places. Artemisia ludoviciana is another medicinal plant.
literature
- Maynard Shumate: The Archeology of the Vicinity of Great Falls. Montana State University, Missoula 1950, OCLC 8964494 .
- Davis Leslie: Aerial Photogrammetry of Stone Circles and Piled Stone Alignments at the Ulm Pishkun State Monument. In: Michael Wilson et al. (Ed.): Megaliths to Medicine Wheels: Boulder Structures in Archeology. Archeological Association of the University of Calgary, Calgary 1981, OCLC 10779195 .
- John Fisher, Tom Roll: Archaeological Excavations at Ulm Pishkun State Monument, During the Summer of 1993: A Preliminary Summary Report. March 1994.
- John W. Fisher: Analysis of Archaeological Materials from Ulm Pishkun Buffalo Kill (24CA1012). May 1995.
References
- ↑ Where the Buffalo Fell. Accessed June 1, 2020 (German).
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from April 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.deborahrichie.com/writingexcerpts/brochures_ulmpishkum.html
