The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History opened a timely exhibit, “Bison: Standing Strong”, this week to celebrate the buffalo in our past and present. Three galleries on the second floor of the museum tell the story and await your family’s visit.
Vast herds of buffalo covered this land when Europeans arrived. The exhibit even highlights the hunting party George Washington took to western Virginia six years before our independence, when they killed five buffalo.
Today, there are bison herds in all fifty states, a broader range than ever before. But between then and now, the bison were nearly wiped out. In fact, in 1889, the Government Printing Office published “The Extermination of the American Bison” by then superintendent of the Smithsonian National Zoo, William Temple Hornaday.
The central object of the exhibit is a male Plains Bison taken in 1954 at Moiese, Montana, on the National Bison Range. But bison have been on display since the Natural History Museum opened in 1910.
This exhibit is part of the Smithsonian 250, highlighting unique parts of the country for #America250.
Two exploration carts are available for kids’ hands-on activities (when museum volunteers are available). And set outside the Mall entrance are two new, larger-than-life bronze bison statues.
Bring your family to visit this national mammal in our national museum as we celebrate 250 years of America!
For more information on “Bison: Standing Strong” and to plan your visit, head to the Natural History Museum website.
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