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been in the secret, I would have been as deceived as the buf-
falo," he wrote, according to a Madison Buffalo Jump State
Park interpretive plaque.
The hunters would gradually haze the group closer and
closer to the cliff, funneling them toward the abrupt edge us-
ing drive lines constructed from strategically-placed piles of
stones. As the lead runner reached the V-shaped drive lines,
he would break into a sprint, causing the herd behind to run
after him. The runners pushing the group from behind also
contributed to the quickening pace.
Before long, the alarmed herd would be thundering across
the ground, traveling in such a dense mass that only the lead-
ers of the group could see the bluff quickly approaching. The
rest of the herd, unable to see the danger, followed the leaders
blindly and ran even harder to keep up with them. By the time
they reached the edge of the cliff, there was no stopping the
powerful momentum that had been created by the stampede.
The native runner tasked with luring the group would
either dodge out of the way at the last possible moment or
would jump over the cliff's edge himself before taking refuge
FIRST PEOPLES
BUFFALO JUMP
STATE PARK
WAHKPA CHU'GN
BUFFALO JUMP
MADISON
BUFFALO JUMP
FIRST PEOPLES
BUFFALO JUMP
STATE PARK
