A delightful find at Jamestown, ND

Back on the road, we were passing through farmlands, when we began seeing fields of sunflowers, acres and acres of golden blooms.

The grass grows so abundantly in North Dakota that even the right of ways are baled after mowing.

We stopped for the night in Jamestown at the Frontier Village Campground.  The combination office, gift shop and bar looks like it could have been located on the original Route 66.

A sign proclaimed “Feed the Buffalo Out Back – 50 cents”.  The attendant told us of a wildlife museum ‘out back’ also – ‘Free’.  With the outside temperature at 95 degrees, we decided to wait until later to explore the wonders ‘out back’.

When we did walk around after dinner, we were surprised at the work that had gone into the Wildlife Museum.  The displays were quite well done.   We then decided to venture on to the “Frontier Village” a few blocks up the street.  At 7 p.m., we knew they would not be open, but thought the walk would be good for us.  To our surprise, the Village was not only open, but was hosting a live concert. (The music turned out to be rock, and would have appealed more to our grandchildren, so we didn’t listen long before moving on into the village. The museum village was amazing and a tribute to the town’s people.  The buildings were all furnished, many of them completely open to the public with no barriers.  We were amazed that they don’t seem concerned with theft.  We spent quite a while browsing the various buildings, and wishing we had gone earlier (attendants in period costumes roam the village during daytime hours).

Also in the village is the world’s largest buffalo, standing 26 feet high and measuring 46 feet long (he was erected in 1959).  At the end of the village is the National Buffalo Museum (also closed by the time we got there).  The adjoining field and ravine houses a herd of 30 or so bison, famous for its three albinos.  A white buffalo is quite a rarity, and is considered sacred by the Native Americans.  The day was still so warm, none of the bison were roaming about, but as we sat and watched, we caught a glimpse of the largest white buffalo, White Cloud.

For a slideshow of the village, click on the photo:

For more on Jamestown, ND, CLICK HERE