Wyoming’s 40-foot death pit holds 20,000 bison and 250 years of tribal history

The Hidden Sinkhole Where Six Tribes Hunted Bison

Near Sundance, Wyoming sits a 40-foot hole with a big secret. For 250 years, at least five Plains tribes used this natural sinkhole to hunt bison.

Kiowa, Apache, Shoshone, Hidatsa, Crow, and Cheyenne hunters drove huge herds into the 200-foot-wide pit. The site holds bones from 22 hunts and tells a key story.

Before horses came, hunters on foot used dogs to haul meat up from the pit. Later, they rode horses and swapped stone tools for steel ones.

Road crews found the site by chance in the 1970s.

Now this hidden time capsule with 20,000 bison remains waits for you to see how Native hunters fed their people for centuries.

Nature Created the Perfect Buffalo Trap Near Sundance

Groundwater ate away rock layers near Sundance, Wyoming, making a huge natural pit. This hole was 40 feet deep and 200 feet wide, with walls so steep nothing could climb out.

The pit sat right on bison travel paths through the Black Hills. Native tribes quickly noticed how perfect this spot was for hunting.

People later called it the Vore Buffalo Jump.

Plains Tribes Started Using the Sinkhole Around 1550

Hunters from at least five tribes began using the natural pit around 1550. The Kiowa, Apache, Shoshone, Hidatsa, Crow, and Cheyenne all hunted there together.

These early hunters worked on foot, without horses, which made the pit extra helpful. They found smart ways to push bison herds toward the hidden hole.

After kills, they used dogs with carrying frames to drag meat and hides up from the bottom.

Hunters Worked Together to Drive Bison Over the Edge

Hunters spread out around coming bison herds. They used noise, movement, and piles of rocks to push the animals toward the hidden drop.

Once the first bison fell in, the rest usually followed, creating a big kill. The animals died from the fall or hunters killed them at the bottom.

Dig teams found dog skeletons in the bone layers, showing how these animals helped move meat before horses came to the area.

Metal Tools Changed How Tribes Processed Their Kills

European goods reached Plains tribes through trading long before white settlers showed up. The bone layers at Vore clearly show the switch from stone to steel tools.

Early hunters used stone arrowheads and knives for killing and cutting. Later layers have metal points and tools that made hunting and cutting faster.

This tool change happened slowly as trading spread across the land.

Horses Made Buffalo Hunting Much Easier

Horses arrived in the 1700s and totally changed how tribes hunted. Riders could now chase and steer bison herds much faster and better.

The pit still helped, but hunting methods changed to use horses better. Moving meat and hides got easier with horses instead of dogs.

The whole Plains way of life changed as horses spread through tribes, creating new hunting styles and social groups.

The Sinkhole Saw 22 Major Hunting Events

Dig evidence shows 22 separate hunting events at Vore between 1550 and 1800. Each hunt left behind its own layer of bones, tools, and dirt.

These layers tell us how hunting methods changed over time.

Thousands of bison died in the pit during these group hunts, which needed careful planning and teamwork among tribes.

The bone piles built up over hundreds of years.

Buffalo Hunts at Vore Stopped Around 1800

The last known hunt at the pit happened around 1800. Changing bison herds and new hunting styles likely led to people stopping use of the site.

Tribal lands shifted as white settlers pushed groups into new areas. Knowledge about the pit spot slowly faded from tribal memory as years passed.

The hole slowly filled with more dirt, hiding signs of centuries of hunting.

The Land Became Just Another Wyoming Ranch

After people stopped using it, the pit slowly filled with soil and plants, hiding the treasure below. The spot stayed unknown for over 170 years as the land turned into a cattle ranch.

The Vore family owned the property for generations without knowing what lay under their fields. The bone-filled pit might have stayed hidden forever if not for a big road project.

Highway Workers Stumbled Upon Ancient Bones

Road crews building Interstate 90 in the early 1970s got a big surprise when their drilling hit lots of bones. Workers pulled up samples filled with bison bones and old tools.

They knew they found something important and called experts to check the site.

Road work stopped while dig experts looked at what turned out to be one of the most important buffalo jump sites in North America.

A Wyoming Professor Uncovered the Site’s Secrets

University of Wyoming dig expert George Frison led work at the site in 1971 and 1972. His team carefully dug through layers of bones and tools going 15 feet deep into the pit.

They found separate dirt layers showing different hunting events across 250 years.

Frison counted about 20,000 bison remains in the pit, making it a gold mine for learning about Native American hunting methods.

You Can Visit the Buffalo Jump Today

The Vore family donated their ranch property to create a foundation dedicated to preserving the site. The Vore Buffalo Jump earned designation as a National Historic Place, protecting it from development.

Amazingly, only about 5 percent of the site has been excavated, leaving most remains preserved for future research.

Today, visitors can tour the public archaeological education center to learn about Plains Indian culture and the dramatic hunting events that took place there centuries ago.

Visiting Sundance, Wyoming

The Vore Buffalo Jump is at 369 Old U.S. Highway 14, three miles west of Beulah. You can get there from I-90 Exit 199 or 205.

It’s open daily June through Labor Day from 8am to 6pm with admission that includes guided tours. The interpretive center shows stone and metal projectile points plus dog skeletons from before horses arrived.

You can arrange off-season group tours too. The site sits halfway between Devils Tower and Mount Rushmore.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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