Vore Buffalo Jump

Vore Buffalo Jump Late-Prehistoric Plains Indians Archaeological Site Interpreters staff the Visitor's Center from June through September.
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One of the most important archaeological sites of the Late-Prehistoric Plains Indians, the Vore Buffalo Jump was discovered during the construction of Highway I-90 in the early 1970's, the Vore site is a natural sinkhole that was used as a bison trap from about 1500 to 1800 A.D. Buffalo were driven over the edge of the sink hole as a method for the Native American tribes to procure the large quantities of meat and hides needed to survive the harsh prairie winters.

This is our last week for posts from the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWAR as the semester has ende...
05/15/2026

This is our last week for posts from the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWAR as the semester has ended. Today, Vore Scholar Keira Sumner shares a special graduation photo:

From Buffy the Buffalo and me, thank you to everyone for this opportunity. With graduation this weekend, my time here at UWAR is coming to an end. The knowledge I have gained throughout these past few months will follow me into my archaeological career and through the rest of my life. Wherever life decides to take me, this experience will prove, and has proven, to be a valuable asset to my education. Thank you to VBJF donors for making this internship possible.

The Vore Scholars program is supported by donors to the VBJF including Sundance State Bank.

The VBJF board would like to thank the volunteers who made field trips this week so rewarding for 4th graders from two G...
05/09/2026

The VBJF board would like to thank the volunteers who made field trips this week so rewarding for 4th graders from two Gillette elementary schools and from a Casper school! Some of the 63 students who came today are looking over the rim in this photo, learning about how this hole was used as a trap for around 225 bison at a time.

This week we share some final thoughts from Briar Hull:This is my last post as a Vore Intern! It has flown by and been a...
05/08/2026

This week we share some final thoughts from Briar Hull:

This is my last post as a Vore Intern! It has flown by and been an amazing experience. Just being involved in UWAR in the day to day has helped me make so many connections in archaeology! Working on the Vore collection was really incredible because I learned so much both about the site, bones, and of course bison! Today was a big day because I finally finished my box of 95 bags that took nearly all my time here. I also finally have confirmed cut marks on a rib! My future plans include graduation next week with my B.A. in Anthropology, then staying in Laramie to work with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps and the Forest Service over summer!

The VBJF board very much appreciates the work done on the Vore Collection by Vore Scholars and the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWAR staff. The Scholars Program is supported by donor to the VBJF including Sundance State Bank.

This week Vore Scholar Keira Sumner shares a very, very large artifact:Meet Zeus, the bison bull. Named by one of the st...
05/04/2026

This week Vore Scholar Keira Sumner shares a very, very large artifact:
Meet Zeus, the bison bull. Named by one of the staff at the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWAR for his incredible size, there is no question about it that this guy is a male. As to be expected, cranium sizes differ from male to female in bison, just as they do in many other species.

The Vore Scholars Program is supported by donors to the VBJF including Sundance State Bank.

This week Vore Scholar Briar Hull shares an artifact from the Vore Collection. The Vore Buffalo Jump is known, of course...
04/24/2026

This week Vore Scholar Briar Hull shares an artifact from the Vore Collection. The Vore Buffalo Jump is known, of course, for the many, many bison bones found there. But what are often forgotten are the few non-bison remains we find as well. The artifact this week is clearly an ulna, the longer bone of the forearm, which has a distinct C-shaped curve at the proximal head. We only have the proximal head (split into two) of this bone, so that is the only measurement we can use to try to determine what animal this bone came from. This one measured ~40 mm wide. Comparing to online sources of other animal ulnas, this is in the proximal width range for animals like white-tailed deer, mule deer, sheep, goats, and black bear. In many animals the radius and ulna are fused (they are not in humans). Our ulna fragment is much smaller than a bison radio-ulna shown in the second photo for comparison. If we had the length measurement available, we could narrow down the options, but we know it's not bison!

The Vore Scholars work in the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWAR is supported by donors to the VBJF including Sundance State Bank.

Source:
“Osteoid Bone Identification.” OsteoID Bone Identification, 28 June 2021, boneidentification.com/bones/?_bone_type=radio-ulna%2Culna

We'll have two artifacts for you this week! Vore Scholar Keira Sumner was excited last week for find evidence butchering...
04/20/2026

We'll have two artifacts for you this week! Vore Scholar Keira Sumner was excited last week for find evidence butchering on a rib bone that she was cleaning. The cut marks clearly visible on this rib were likely made by stone tools. Thus, a moment of a human’s attempt at survival is etched on the surface of this bone.

The work by the Vore Scholars in the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWAR is supported by donors to the VBJF including Sundance State Bank.

Gene Gade is working on another of his wonderful articles for our spring newsletter. The topic is stone suitable for kna...
04/17/2026

Gene Gade is working on another of his wonderful articles for our spring newsletter. The topic is stone suitable for knapping. These are some examples of tools found in the Vore Site bone layers. If you are interested in learning more, become a member of the Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation and get our newsletter! Join at https://vorebuffalojump.org/donate-now/

This week’s artifact is shared by Vore Scholar Briar Hull. It is a rib bone with rodent gnawing! The rodent teeth marks ...
04/10/2026

This week’s artifact is shared by Vore Scholar Briar Hull. It is a rib bone with rodent gnawing! The rodent teeth marks are the small parallel lines at the end of the bone. A study done on rodents and bone gnawing revealed that different animals have different preferences for when and where they gnaw on the bones. Canids and brown rats were more likely to gnaw on the bones within a year after death of the individual for the fat content. In contrast, gray squirrels preferred dry bone that was 4+ years exposed to the elements, and they were gnawing for the calcium and minerals. It is possible this rib was gnawed in the spring, concurrent with breeding gray squirrel females searching for extra calcium and minerals.

Source: Klippel, W.E. and Synstelien, J.A. (2007), Rodents as Taphonomic Agents: Bone Gnawing by Brown Rats and Gray Squirrels*. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 52: 765-773. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2007.00467.x

The Vore Scholars' work in the UUniversity of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWARis supported by donors to the VBJF including SSundance State Bank

Vore Scholar Keira Sumner is sharing an artifact this week. Here is her post from the University of Wyoming Archaeologic...
04/03/2026

Vore Scholar Keira Sumner is sharing an artifact this week. Here is her post from the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWAR: This crania was officially assigned a catalog number and a custom archival box today! The skull is remarkable and tells us about the life and death of this bison. First and foremost, we came to the conclusion that it most likely belongs to a female. It is not a terribly large skull but there is definite evidence of fusion. The fusion indicates that this is a skull of an adult bison. Like humans, bison are born with unfused bones, including skulls! There is also evidence of brain extraction by the Vore Site hunters. If you look at the left hand side on the photo on the left, between two natural erosion fractures, you can see the evidence for yourself. It is a slightly irregular break in nature. Brains were extremely useful to the hunters. They were used for tanning hides and they were sometimes eaten -- if they reached it in time as the brain is one of fastest decaying parts of the body.

The Vore Scholars program is supported by donors including Sundance State Bank.

This week, our post comes from Vore Scholar Briar Hull:I spent most of this week cleaning another maxilla because they a...
03/27/2026

This week, our post comes from Vore Scholar Briar Hull:
I spent most of this week cleaning another maxilla because they are so fun! This one is a mostly complete right half. The teeth were mostly still in place which allowed me to observe the tooth patterns. With a little research, I learned that bison do not have front upper teeth because they use their tongue and a pad on the roof of their mouth to pull grass. They then use the teeth by their check to cut and chew the grass. The pattern of each tooth is special to efficiently grind down the plant for its nutrition. The ridges and curves are reinforced with enamel for strength and durability. I have included photos to show off this very cool design. It is difficult to show, but the back molar was fully visible up to the root because of how this bone was broken. The last photo is of our comparative skull to show a complete set of upper teeth on a bison. Super cool to keep learning about these bison and finding unique bones!

Source : “Bison Teeth.” AllAboutBison.com, with Lawrence C. Todd, https://allaboutbison.com/bison-teeth/.

The Vore Scholar's work in the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository - UWAR is supported by donors to the VBJF including Sundance State Bank.

Address

Old US Highway 14
Beulah, WY
82729

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 6pm
Sunday 8am - 6pm

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+13072669530

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