Buffalo Jump

On Sunday we made the trip home. The drive took 8 hours. We took the scenic way home and then stopped at Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump on the way home. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and rainy, so most of the scenic views were just views of the clouds. The mountains looked as if they were very tall. We were driving along Glacier National Park, but since we have already seen the largest glacier we didn't bother stopping.

Head smashed in Buffalo Jump is a place where natives lured buffalo and then caused a stampede making the buffalo jump off a cliff. Several tribes would be involved and they would kill an entire herd of buffalo, saving up enough food for the entire winter. There is evidence of human activity in this area for 11,000 years and this buffalo site was used for 6000 years.

And you may think the name came from the obvious, but the legend has it that a young brave wanted to watch the buffalo. He stood under a ledge and watched the buffalo pile up from the fall. However, there were more buffalo than usual and he became trapped between the buffalo and the cliff. When he was found his skull had been crushed. So now you know something you didn't before.