PRAIRIE It is the quiet before the thunder. Morning sun has further gilded the golden grasslands of Custer State Park, spread over more than 70,000 acres in western South Dakota. Cowboys and cowgirls mill on their mounts, dotting ridge lines above a sprawling valley. Riders chat; horses whinny. Most eyes fix on the sight below-hundreds of cocoa-hued bison, grunting, wandering and waiting.
Then, a hoot. A whipcrack. More shouts. Riders begin to move in an annual choreography to gather the herd from the open range, check its health and chart its future.
The annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival attracts more than 20,000 spectators, who edge the vistas the last Friday of each September to watch riders corral the beasts. But this isn't herding cattle. (And, if we're getting technical, they aren't buffalo.) The bison is North America's largest mammal. Bulls can weigh up to a ton and reach 6 feet tall. And they can move, running 35 mph with the ability to turn on a dime.
Around 1,300 head of bison call the park home. But they don't just live here. They are the lifeblood, the heartbeat of this place. Once 30 million strong and the cornerstone of life for Native Americans, who used them for food, fuel, shelter and spiritual celebration, bison were driven to the brink of extinction by settlers.
Custer bison descend from the private herd of a South Dakota rancher named James "Scotty" Philip, whose wife was part Cheyenne. Philip and his family worked at the turn of the 20th century to rescue the dwindling species and eventually sold a few dozen animals to the state of South Dakota.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Fall 2023-Ausgabe von Midwest Living.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Fall 2023-Ausgabe von Midwest Living.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
summer sequel
A MINNESOTA COUPLE'S NEW LAKE HOME PRESERVES THE SOUL AND CONTINUES THE TRADITIONS OF THEIR FAMILY'S CABIN THAT STOOD ON THE SAME SITE FOR DECADES.
STAYING AFLOAT
CENTURIES AGO, FRENCH CANADIAN FUR TRAPPERS DRAGGED HEAVY CANOES OVER THE LAND AND LAKES OF PRESENT-DAY VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK. ON A FIRST-TIME HOUSEBOAT JOURNEY, THE MOST WE LUGGED WAS A COOLER BUT WE SNARED A WEALTH OF SOLITUDE, SUNSETS AND LAUGHS.
A FIRST-TIME HOUSEBOATER
Consult a map when choosing a rental company.
AGRI(CULTURED)
FOR OUR EIGHTH ANNUAL ROAD RALLY, WE DELVED INTO OUTDOOR ADVENTURE, FARM-FRESH FOOD, AND A THRIVING ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE IN IOWA.
NEIGHBORHOOD - STRAWBERRY HILL FOREVER
WITH ARTIST LAEDAN GALICIA, AKA DINKC, AS YOUR GUIDE, EXPLORE THE COFFEE SHOPS, DIVE BARS AND DIVERSE EATS OF THIS HISTORIC POCKET OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.
JOURNEY - RAPID STRIDES
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, HAS HAD A HOPPING BEER SCENE FOR YEARS. BUT TODAY, THE CITY'S CULINARY LANDSCAPE IS MORE THAN JUST ITS GREAT BREWS MORE DIVERSE, MORE FRESH, MORE DELICIOUS.
SWEET LIFE HERE COMES THE SUNDAE
MOVING TO A NEW CITY BRINGS UPS AND DOWNS EVEN WHEN IT'S REALLY YOUR OLD CITY. THANK GOODNESS FOR ICE CREAM.
LIVE WELL - VEG OUT
EATING A GREATER VARIETY OF PLANTS HELPS YOUR HEALTH AND THE PLANET'S. HERE ARE SIX TASTY WAYS TO GET IT DONE.
STUDIO SESSION - IN VIVID COLOR
CHICAGOAN EMILY VAN HOFF PIECES TOGETHER FABULOUSLY SATURATED, INTENTIONALLY HAPPY WORKS OF QUILTED ART.
SPACES - HOUSE OF BLUES
RHYTHMIC PATTERNS AND A NAUTICAL PALETTE HIT ALL THE RIGHT NOTES AT A WATERSIDE HOME IN WISCONSIN.