In a small town in the southwest corner of Minnesota, you’ll find Blue Mounds State Park, one of the few places in the state that visitors can see the historic bison up close and in a natural habitat year-round.
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Did you know Minnesota has bison sanctuaries? In a small town in the southwest corner of Minnesota, you'll find Blue Mounds State Park, one of the few places in the state that visitors can see bison up close and in a natural habitat year-round. The acres of tallgrass prairie grow because of the inability for settlers to plow the fields for farming use. The land is covered with pink Sioux quartzite making it a perfect place for the bison's favorite grasses to thrive.
It was 1961 when buffalo were introduced to the site. The state park is now home to around 80 bison and, if you're lucky, you might witness one of the many calves born each year while on a guided vehicle tour.
Most of the bison in America are found to have cattle DNA due to genetic experiments conducted in the 1800s in an attempt to mass produce hides for profit. The Minnesota Bison Conservationists, however, work endlessly to protect the genetic integrity of our home state's buffalo population. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, the bison herd at Blue Mounds is the "most genetically pure in the country." Every few years, the park will introduce a new bull to help diversify the population while maintaining the bison DNA. So, next time you're looking for an adventure to where the buffalo roam and the prairie stands tall, consider visiting the bison sanctuary at Blue Mounds State Park.
MN90 is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Online at MN90 dot org.