The unknowing eye may call this a buffalo. But to anyone who is from North Dakota, and especially those who proudly display this green and yellow flag ...
... these are Bisons. And as we crossed the Minnesota border and headed west, we quickly realized that the bison are BIG in North Dakota.
North Dakota is a new state for RVentures. When exploring a new area, I like to consult Roadside America to make sure that we take in all the quirky and unusual sites that are on our way. The app advised us to get off I-94 in Jamestown because ... who would want to miss the ''World's Largest Buffalo''??!!
''Dakota Thunder'' stands 26 feet tall and seems to invite weary travelers to stop and enjoy something just a little bit different from the seemingly endless fields of corn and wheat and cows. He got our attention!
Our first overnight in North Dakota was the capital city of Bismarck. There I was able to get a picture in front of my 19th state capitol building ...
... but as you can see by the empty square above, my photographer failed me! Not sure what happened to the picture that Doug took, but I guess we are just going to have to try it again sometime in the future.
Just south of Bismarck, we stayed at a great state park. Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park sits on the banks overlooking the confluence of the Heart and Missouri Rivers. In addition to beautiful scenery and biking, the park celebrates its historical significance with some very interesting historical displays. On-A-Slant Indian Village is a reproduction of the Mandan earth lodges that stood on this land hundreds of years ago.
Displays in each of the structures give a fascinating account of everyday Indian life on the northern prairies. Time and time again, the displays stressed how BIG the bison was for this Indian culture, as it provided food and materials to help sustain these early tribes.
Continuing our westward trek, we were once again drawn off the highway to admire another BIG North Dakota landmark ... ''Salem Sue''!
This giant Holstein cow stands 38 feet tall and was build by the town of New Salem, North Dakota to honor the local dairy farming industry. Continuing up the hill from ''Sue'', we had a great view of the endless fields of North Dakota agriculture.
After many hours of driving, these fields can seem quite mundane ... but as we looked out over these endless fields, we were struck by their importance to Americans. These fields of wheat, corn, Holsteins, and (occasionally still) bison ... and the farmers that work the land, help feed America. And that is a BIG reason for us all to be proud of the land of the Bison!
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