Go Jump Off a Cliff

Before Lori and her boys head for home (they're leaving in the early AM), Dad took us to see the First People's Buffalo Jump. It's not even 10 miles away from Great Falls. I didn't realize we had so many historical sights so close by. What have we been missing???

The kids stood next to a buffalo. Don't worry it was stuffed. And they were allowed to touch it, so that made it even better.

The way the jump worked was that a young man, about 13 to 16 years old, would wear a bison calf cape and act like an injured calf and play up to the lead cow. She's follow him up the hill and the rest of the herd would follow her. Then about four other young men would wear wolf capes and start freaking out the herd. They'd be following the lead cow who would be led by the "injured calf" and he'd take them to the edge of the cliff. Because of the buffalo's poor sight, they would not be able to tell that they were actually heading off a cliff until it was too late. It was actually a bit freaky to realize what the young men had to do to have these HUGE animals stampeding behind them. The young men would jump off the cliff onto a shelf and quickly scramble out of the way so they wouldn't be kicked off the hill too.

Dad led Abby and Emma to the edge of the cliff. The grass color change is where the cliff begins.

This is what the shelf looked like. At the edge of the rock is the steep decent to DEATH! It was a bit scary. The cliff ran about a mile long.


Dad and Matt at the edge of the shelf. Matt said being at the edge of the cliff "was fweaky."

Millie slept until about five minutes before we left. She was such a good girl.

As we left, Dad asked the kids what they learned. I think it was Emma that said, "Never jump off a cliff!" Smart kid.