World's Largest Buffalo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids World's Largest Buffalo Monument |
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| Year | 1959 |
| Medium | Sculpture |
| Subject | American bison |
| Location | Jamestown, North Dakota |
The "World's Largest Buffalo Monument" is a giant sculpture of an American Bison. You can find it in Jamestown, North Dakota, at a place called Frontier Village. It's so big you can see it from Interstate 94! It stands high above the city, looking over the James River valley. This huge buffalo is a major reason why tourists visit Jamestown. It even gave the city its nickname: The Buffalo City.
Meet Dakota Thunder: The Giant Buffalo Statue
This amazing sculpture stands 26 feet (7.9 m) (about 8 meters) tall. It is also 46 feet (14 m) (about 14 meters) long. Imagine, it weighs a massive 60 short tons (54 t) (about 54,000 kg)!
The statue was built using stucco and cement. These materials were placed over a strong steel frame. This frame was shaped using wire mesh. The sculpture looks very real and detailed. It shows a male bison in the middle of taking a step. Every part of its body is made to look correct, just like a real buffalo.
How Was Dakota Thunder Built?
The idea for this huge buffalo came from a local businessman named Harold Newman in 1959. The statue was designed by Elmer Petersen. He was an art professor and sculptor at Jamestown College. Petersen also watched over the building process. Professional construction workers and people from the community helped build it.
The final cost to build the buffalo was about US$8,500 in 1969. This was more than they first thought it would be. A strong concrete base was added later. This base was not part of the first cost.
When it was first built, the buffalo stood alone on a hill. But in the mid-1960s, the city started to add more to the area. They moved old buildings there to make it look like a small Midwestern town from the 1800s. This project was named Frontier Village. Over the years, it has grown a lot. Now, it has many buildings and other fun things to see. The National Buffalo Museum is also there. But the giant buffalo is still the main attraction!
In 2007, the city of Jamestown got a special grant of $16,500. This money was from Hampton Hotels' Save-A-Landmark program. They used the money to fix up the buffalo. Workers repainted it to make it look even more like a real buffalo. They also made its horns bigger. Elmer Petersen, who first designed the buffalo, helped with this repair work.
On July 24, 2010, the World's Largest Buffalo got a special name. After a contest with over 3,500 ideas, it was named "Dakota Thunder."
