Per Nachusa Grasslands’ FAQ, bison is the correct term. The actual genus and species name for the bison
that’s
indigenous to North America is Bison bison.
“American Buffalo” is also acceptable, but "buffalo" all by itself is not.
Early settlers can be blamed for the mix-up, referring to bison as "buffalo," mistaking them for Water
Buffalo
or Cape Buffalo, native to Africa and Asia.
The filmmakers decided to call the film The American Buffalo because "buffalo" is the common name in
the
United States.
Within the past decade, herds of bison have been reintroduced at preserves in Illinois and
Indiana, as part
of efforts to restore native prairie habitats. Here’s where you can find them.
Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Pawhuska,
Osage
County, Oklahoma, July 2021. Credit: Harvey PayneBlessing Ceremony in Norman, Oklahoma, October 22, 2021.
Credit:
Jared AmesBen Masters films in the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie
Preserve. Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma, May 2021. Credit: Harvey PayneWild Idea, Conata Ranches, Rapid City, South Dakota,
February, 2020.
Credit: Craig MellishResearch for American Buffalo in Cody, Wyoming, September 29,
2021.
Credit: Susan ShumakerHistory Colorado Center, Denver, Colorado, July 22, 2022.
Credit:
Emily MosherDayton Duncan on camera in Fort Benton, Montana, June 16,
2021.
Credit: Jared AmesDayton Duncan, Julie Dunfey, Buddy Squires, and Wil Duncan at
the
American Prairie Reserve, Montana, June 18, 2021. Credit: Jared AmesThe crew of American Buffalo at the American Prairie Reserve,
Montana, June 19, 2021. Credit: Jared AmesThe crew of American Buffalo at the American Prairie Reserve,
Montana, June 19, 2021. Credit: Jared AmesJulie Dunfey and Buddy Squires at the Flying D Ranch in
Gallatin
Gateway, Montana, June 22, 2021. Credit: Jared AmesJulie Dunfey and Buddy Squires at the Flying D Ranch in
Gallatin
Gateway, Montana, June 22, 2021. Credit: Jared AmesAn interview in Charlo, Montana, June 24, 2021. Credit: Jared
Ames
Filming of American Buffalo at National Bison Range, Montana,
June
24, 2021. Credit: Jared AmesFilming of American Buffalo at National Bison Range, Montana,
June
24, 2021. Credit: Jared AmesFilming of American Buffalo at Yellowstone, Montana, February
10,
2022. Credit: Jared AmesDan White at the Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana,
December 14, 2022. Credit: Susan Shumaker“The Rocky Mountain, Lander’s Peak” by Albert Bierstadt,
1863.
Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York“Buffalo Chase with Bows and Lances” by George Catlin,
1832-1833.
Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum“Buffalo Hunt under the Wolf-skin Mask” by George Catlin,
1832-1833.
Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum“Buffalo Chase in Winter, Indians on Snowshoes” by George
Catlin,
1832-1833. Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum“The Last of the Buffalo” by Albert Bierstadt, 1888. Credit:
Courtesy
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DCPoster advertising Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, c. 1900.
Credit:
Library of CongressTheodore Roosevelt c. 1910. Credit: Library of Congress
The railroad pushes west, c. 1862-1867. Credit: Stanford
University
Libraries. Photo by Alfred A. HartWilliam T. Hornaday’s bison exhibit at the Smithsonian, 1902.
Credit:
Smithsonian Institution ArchivesEarly depiction of a bison in a Spanish history book, 1554.
Credit:
Courtesy of the John Carter Brown LibraryThe railroad unites the east and west coasts. Cartoon printed
in
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 1869. Credit: Library of Congress“Pawnee Running Buffalo” by Alfred Jacob Miller, 1858-1860.
Credit:
The Walters Art MuseumTheodore Roosevelt, Quanah Parker, and others on a hunt in
1905.
Credit: Library of Congress. Photo by Alexander LambertBison in South Dakota, September 2019. Credit: Craig Mellish
Lone bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, October 2022.
Credit:
Craig MellishBison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, October 2022.
Credit:
Craig MellishBison in Montana, September 2019. Credit: Craig Mellish
