Experiencing the Buffalo Round Up
- Jul 2
- 2 min read
By Larry Kiewel of St. Peter
The Buffalo Round Up in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota has been on my list of things to see ever since a saddle club friend came back with stories of riding his own horse at the event. Sometimes it seemed like I was the last person in the county to make the trip, as everyone seemed to have a story and advice.
Get there early.
Bring your own chairs.
Wear a big hat.
Be ready to wait.
We got in line just inside the Wildlife turn off on the road from Rapid City to Custer. The car in front of us proceeded to make camp stove oatmeal for breakfast. We ate before we left our quarters, but wished we had brought more coffee along.
The line started to move at sunrise. We got to the parking area and we hurried to the viewing area. We set up our chairs away from the fence, high enough to see over the people already set up. The action was scheduled for 10 a.m., but there were lots of things to watch as we waited – mostly people.
The herd had been gathered the day before and we watched the riders leave the corrals where the buffalo would be sorted, tagged, and vaccinated. We had heard stories of the herd arriving on the run in a cloud of dust with the ground trembling beneath your feet. It was hot the day we were there and the riders brought the herd in slowly.
One animal appeared on the ridge. Then a string headed for the gate in front of us, and finally a herd pushed down the draw and into the holding pasture. There were riders all around the herd. Some riders carried bull whips that sounded like gun shots and some others whistled.
There were pancakes for early arrivals and bison burgers for lunch if you cared to stick around. School buses made the trip between the viewing area and the new visitors center. Our car was farther from where we sat than we remembered and the biggest adventure of the day was getting back to our car, getting back to the park, and over to Mount Rushmore.
Comments