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Custer State Park “Open Range,” Tyler Custis’ spectacular photograph of bison grazing on a rolling, golden prairie beneath wispy clouds in an endless sky of blue, was our first introduction to Custer State Park. Featured as the winning photograph of the “Wildlife” category on MyStateParkPhotos.com last March, this simple image captured the vastness of the open prairie, the majesty of the mighty buffalo and the essence of an era gone by. This one, incredible scene moved my husband Bill and I as no other in recent memory has, and launched our travel adventure into the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota to experience for ourselves the Annual Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival held each year at Custer State Park. At 71,000 acres, Custer is the second largest of all state parks in the United States. The park’s bison were introduced in 1914, and the initial herd of 36 has grown to approximately 1,500 today. Regulating the size of the herd and keeping it free from disease requires a good deal of effort by park staff, as some 500 new bison are born each spring during the calving season. The Buffalo Roundup allows park staff to sort and inventory the herd, and to brand and vaccinate the new calves. Custer’s 18,000 acres of grasslands will support only about 950 – 1,000 buffalo over the winter, so the park sells off it surplus bison every year at public auction. Bison sales are an important source of revenue for the park and help to finance its day-to day operations. Designated South Dakota’s first state park in 1919, Custer is a world-class preserve, home to an incredible variety of wildlife and game. Park residents in addition to the buffalo include bighorn sheep, mountain goats, whitetail and mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, mountain lion, bobcat and South Dakota’s state animal, the coyote. Some of the park’s more endearing denizens are the black-tailed prairie dogs of Prairie Town, those energetic, tail-wagging little rodents who nuzzle and yip their way into everyone’s hearts, and an inimitable band of begging burros, introduced into the Black Hills back in the days when miners panned the region for minerals. The burros remaining today are descendants of a herd used by the park to provide trail rides to Harney Peak in the 1920s. These long-eared creatures are famous for standing in the middle of the road and blocking traffic, while patiently moving from car to car in search of handouts. The park hosts four primary habitat types: mixed grass prairies, ponderosa pine forests, spruce/pine forests and aquatic areas comprised of lakes, streams and natural seeps. Such a diverse habitat attracts an abundance of birdlife as well, including wild turkey, mountain bluebird, golden eagle, prairie falcon, red crossbill, western tanager and great horned owl. We were lucky enough to spy this one just north of Stockade Lake. We encountered pine forests first as we ascended the hills on South Dakota Highway 87 and wound our way into the Sylvan Lake area of the park. The dark green conifers of these forests appear black from a distance, and were what inspired the area’s first inhabitants, the Lakota Indians, to name the region Pa Sapa - the “Black Hills.” Proceeding into the park via Needles Highway, we found ourselves traveling along a 14-mile twisting ribbon of pavement bordered with the rich, fall yellows and golds of aspen and birch. Steep switchbacks and narrow tunnels - each more slightly “width-challenged” than the last - accent this pearl of navigation, which sports breathtaking views of the tall granite formations that are unique to the region. Some of the dark rocks jutting up into the sky in one area were so tall and closely situated together that they almost resembled sentinels, encircling the entrance to the tunnel as though they were guarding it somehow. Several hiking trails in the area offer a closer look at these granite monoliths, including Harney Peak, Little Devil’s Tower and Cathedral Spires, this last of which could not be more aptly named. “Tatanka” is the Lakota word for buffalo, and it didn’t take long for us to encounter our first. Shortly after descending Needles Highway, we were thrilled to come across not one, but two of these magnificent beasts, sauntering casually down the road as it unfolded before us in autumnal splendor. Glancing back from time to time at us, with just enough menace in their big black eyes to ensure that we maintained a respectable distance from them, these powerful creatures were impressive in both stamina and stature. A mature bull can measure 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. Unpredictable and surprisingly fast, bison have been clocked at top speeds of 35 miles an hour and can outrun a horse. And although at this point I entreated my Husband repeatedly to close his car window with the utmost of haste, under the naïve assumption that, in the unlikely event one of those massive beasts should tire of our game and lunge madly for the car, doing so would provide us with a modicum of protection, he steadfastly refused to do so, equally resolute in his confidence that the more prudent action was to leave the window down and by doing so, avoid the shower of glass certain to follow any buffalo charge that might ensue! Our tantalizing pursuit of the buffalo in this fashion continued for quite some distance, until we were enticed away from it by a herd of bighorn sheep, precariously perched on an outgrowth of rocks to our left as we entered a sharp turn in the road. The ambivalence presented by the moment, although short-lived, was priceless: our heads turned and eyes met, mouths agape in astonishment; delighted completely by the choices confronting us, yet comforted in the silent satisfaction that each had arrived separately at a mutual conclusion: we could no longer continue our afternoon buffalo delight; we simply had to pull off the road now and get out of the car to admire these beautiful bighorn sheep! Such are the incredible opportunities that Custer State Park offers to its visitors time and again, along Wildlife Loop Road and other scenic byways that traverse it, as pine forests give way to grass prairies that undulate endlessly across the horizon, now exposing a herd of pronghorn antelope grazing on a distant hillside; now offering into view a colorful collection of wild turkeys, comically zigzagging their way downhill in single file; and the hill after that revealing in turn, a small herd of deer who promptly bound off, white tails raised in alarm, their grazing momentarily disturbed by our intrusion into their peaceful domain. The park’s lakes and streams add their own quiet, rich beauty to the terrain. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll in the French Creek Natural Area and were treated to lovely fall colors and the cool, pristine waters of the French Creek as it meanders through the forest and then narrows to follow the contours of an ever-steeper granite bank. The cry of an osprey broke the late afternoon silence. We froze instantly and scoured the treeline, until we found him perched almost directly above us, on the dead branch of a tree overhanging the water. Now add to this wildlife enthusiast’s virtual bonanza, a three-day Festival and celebration of the arts, a Chili Cookoff sponsored by the Custer area Chamber of Commerce that features buffalo meat from the park, AND a real western roundup complete with horses, whip-cracking cowboys, yippee-ki-yays and dangerous bulls - and you’ve got a hearty recipe for good old American fun of the finest degree. “Each fall,” the park’s website boasts, “the wild west returns to Custer State Park during the annual Buffalo Roundup.” Well, let me assure you: this boast is no tall tale. Park staff saddle up on horseback with a posse of about 20 cowboys and cowgirls, some chosen by lottery and some of whom are honored guests. Their mission: to assemble the park’s 1,450 bison and move them into the buffalo corrals to be sorted, branded and vaccinated. All this, in a pre-designated spot at a predetermined time and under the watchful eye of thousands of eager spectators who’ve assembled in the wee hours of a crisp fall morning to witness the event, and most of whom, one could reckon by the timing of their cheers, were rooting for the buffalo and their unpredictable efforts to elude and otherwise escape the unflappable horseriders and their four-wheeling trucks! The Arts Festival kicked off the three-day celebration on Saturday and drew a handsome crowd, offering something for everyone: there were Indian beadworks, feathercrafts and basketry, clay and ironworks, leather goods, saddles and hides; even a real miner displaying his skill at goldpanning and selling his tradewares to those eager to give it a try for themselves. There were books about the region, booths displaying local paintings, prints, and photography, and for those born to shop, there were plenty of hand-crafted quilts, jewelry, clothing, bandannas, lawn ornaments, wind spinners and other items from which to choose. We kept hearing shots fired toward the rear of the festival grounds, so we wandered over to investigate and discovered a “Mounted Shooting” display in full swing, presented by the Black Hills Cowboy Mounted Shooters Association. Mounted Shooting, if you’ve never seen it, is a bit like barrel racing, only there’s a twist – in addition to navigating his horse around a series of barrels in a pre-arranged pattern, the Mounted Shooter must also draw his weapon and fire at balloons placed atop each barrel! The riders dress in period clothing from the late 1800’s and are judged on timing and accuracy. They use .45 caliber single action revolvers that are loaded with a special brass cartridge containing 27 grains of black powder, topped off with ground walnut shells. The shot carries only about 15 – 20 feet. Don Volley, one of the club’s members, was happy to share details about the sport with us, and told us he will be competing in Scottsdale, Arizona in November at the Cowboy Mounted Shooters Association World Championships. We wish you lots of luck, Don! At the other end of the festival grounds another unusual activity was taking place: the Buffalo Chip Toss. I rather fancied this as the old West’s equivalent to the somewhat more civilized lawn game of Croquet. As in Croquet, the object of the game was to advance around the playing field, only here instead of striking a ball with your mallet through hoops, you must toss your buffalo chips - a somewhat readily available commodity in these parts, as you might imagine - through the designated targets! Oh—and I mustn’t forget to mention—using gloves is sorely discouraged and only for sissies. If playing with compost wasn’t your cup of tea, there was plenty of entertainment certain to amuse, including Lakota War Dancers and storytellers, a Cowboy Poet, performances by the 7th Cavalry Drum & Bugle Corps, cloggers, and a variety of musicians performing bluegrass, folk and gospel renditions. Even General George Armstrong Custer, the park’s famous namesake, stopped by to sample some of the chili. Sponsored by the Custer area Chamber of Commerce, this Custer look-alike makes frequent appearances at events throughout the area, and was a real charmer. Contestants in the Cookoff included the Hard Rock Chili Cookers, AJ’s Number 9 Ore Car, Ole Timey Buffalo Waller Chili, and my personal favorite, Pirates of the Chile-beán. The spirit of the old West stirred up by all these goings-on was contagious and infected a number of park visitors, afflicting even a group of six trailriders that we encountered early Sunday while out for their morning ride. The group approached Bill and myself near the Prairie Creek Trailhead, where we’d gotten out of our car to admire the view. Much to our surprise, the group’s leader stopped his horse directly in front of us and deadpanned, “Alright, this is a stick-up! Now hand over your wallets, your money and all of your jewelry!” We all laughed, greatly amused, and admired their chaps and their horses and the beautiful day, and asked them where they’d left their bandannas (because “real” bandits, you know, would have had them tied across their noses and mouths to mask their identity and keep out the traildust.) Finally Monday, the day of the Buffalo Roundup, had arrived. Before sunup, the crowds began to gather and swell in the viewing areas that park staff had provided for the event along Wildlife Loop Road, and for the next two and a half hours, a steady stream of cars and trucks flowed continuously and without interruption into the parking lots cordoned off on the north and south of the buffalo corrals. About 9:30 AM we got our first glimpse of the herd as they crested the hill off to our right in the distance: little black spots suddenly peppered the gold tones of the prairie, growing steadily in number as the herd lined up along the ridge in the early morning sun. It was a very exciting moment, that first glimpse, because we knew then that it wouldn’t be long before the entire herd rumbled down the hill into the valley directly before us, flanked only by the outriders and four-wheelers who rode alongside them, cracking their whips and calling out at them in a constant fracas and uproar. But the buffalo were not without their reservations and did not make an easy task of it. As they hastened their way across the ridge, the cowboys and trucks urging them on came into view. Even from this distance, we could hear their calls to the herd as they carefully maintained their distance to either side of and slightly behind the buffalo. Soon, the lead animals broke off from the main group and began running downhill, far to the right and off-course of the path that we’d been told park staff had selected for the herd. The riders strung out along the top of the ridge went all out now, hastening to cut the rogues off, and were successful in regrouping and turning the runaways back to rejoin the main herd and move down into the valley in front of us. Now they began their ascent up the hill and into position directly alongside us. It was a very impressive scene as they rumbled by. So close now that we could see each particle of dust and debris that they stirred up as they trotted along, and hear their grunts and snorts as they labored to keep up the fast pace. The riders and trucks diligently worked as a team to keep the bison moving together and on target. Descending the final hill before turning left and heading toward the two double gates that opened into the buffalo corrals, the herd lost its forward momentum and split – one group making a run for it off to the right, up and over the next hill; others seeking haven among the elms and cottonwoods that lined the creek area off to the left. As the crowd cheered, the outriders and trucks went into full gear again, some off in this direction, others in that, chasing down the strays and strategically positioning themselves to turn and regroup the animals again. Some of the buffalo, it seemed, were positively determined not to go through those gates and into the buffalo corrals; in fact, some among our party speculated that they actually remembered their experience from last year and were doing their best to avoid a repeat occurrence! But the cowboys stuck with it and did their job until all but one lucky bison had been driven through the gates. At the last possible moment, this one very frightened animal veered off and ran back the way she’d just come like there was no tomorrow. And although the riders went out after her and would have eventually caught up with her, the chase was called off and the runaway allowed to make her escape, to the complete and utter delight of the roaring crowd. Make plans to attend next year’s festivities now. The Park’s four lodges fill up for the event, so be sure to book your reservations well in advance and don’t forget your camera and binoculars. Come alone or come with family and friends, but do come and experience for yourselves the intensity and excitement of the great American bison and the park’s annual Buffalo Roundup. It’s a refreshing taste of real Americana that you won’t soon forget. |
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