Wold Bison Jump facts for kids

The Wold Bison Jump is an amazing archeological site in Johnson County, Wyoming, United States. It's a place where scientists study how people lived a long time ago. This special area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 because it's so important to understanding history.

What is a Bison Jump?

A bison jump was a clever hunting method used by Native Americans for thousands of years. Hunters would guide large herds of bison (also known as buffalo) towards a cliff. Once the bison were close enough, they would be stampeded over the edge. This allowed hunters to get a lot of food and other resources, like hides and bones, all at once. It was a very efficient way to hunt.

How the Wold Bison Jump Worked

The Wold Bison Jump was used between the 1300s and 1600s. During this time, Native American groups would work together to hunt bison here. They would carefully plan how to move the bison.

The site was perfect for this kind of hunting because of how the land was shaped.

• The cliff wasn't easy for the bison to see until they were very close. This meant they wouldn't get scared and turn back too soon.
• The land around the cliff had natural paths that made it easy to guide the bison. These paths helped hunters control the herd and direct them exactly where they needed to go.

This smart use of the land made the Wold Bison Jump a very successful hunting spot for many years. It shows how much Native Americans understood their environment and the animals they hunted.