MWT – Grand Canyon, Where the Beefalo Roam

There is no such thing as Buffalo in America. You have to go to Asia or Africa to see true Buffalo. There are Bison. They can be seen at Custer State Park, Yellowstone and Wind Cave National Parks and privately owned ranches, but not at Grand Canyon.

Read the story about bison hybrids here.

 

Welcome to Grand Canyon - Where the Buffalo Roam?

No, buffalo are not native to Grand Canyon.

However, in 1906 Jim Owens and Charles Jones tried to breed buffalo bulls with cattle to produce “cattalo.” It was not a successful enterprise and buffalo still roam in House Rock Valley northeast of the park. When it gets warm in the valley the buffalo cross the invisible border up into the park onto the cooler Kaibab Plateau.

I’d never seen them before but hear the visitors talking about them and asking questions. Fellow blogger FabGrandma sees them regularly when she works at the park’s entrance gate.

In fact when I left for town yesterday, about one mile before the gate I encountered a “buffalo jam” where traffic was stopped off and on the roadway.

So what’s going on here?