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| World's Largest Buffalo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Year | 1959 |
| Medium | Sculpture |
| Subject | American bison |
World's Largest Buffalo is a sculpture of an American Bison located in Jamestown, North Dakota at the Frontier Village. It is visible from Interstate 94, overlooking the city from above the James River valley. The statue is a significant tourist draw for Jamestown and the source of its nickname, The Buffalo City. [1]
The sculpture is 26 feet (7.9 m) tall and 46 feet (14 m) long and weighs 60 short tons (54 t). [1] It was constructed with stucco and cement around a steel beam frame shaped with wire mesh. [2]
The sculpture is complete in many respects of detail. It is sculptured after a male bison in mid-stride and is anatomically correct.
The sculpture was commissioned in 1959 by local businessman Harold Newman, designed by Elmer Petersen, Jamestown College Art Professor and sculptor, and constructed under Peterson's supervision by professional construction workers and community members. [3]
The final construction cost was approximately US$8,500 in 1969; a significant overrun from initial estimates closer to $4,600. The concrete slab that lies under the sculpture was added later and was not included in the initial cost. [4]
When originally constructed, the statue stood alone on a hill south of Jamestown. Beginning in the mid-1960s, the city began expanding the site with the collection of a small number of historic buildings moved there in an attempt to recreate the look of a small Midwestern town in the 1800s. Named Frontier Village, the project has grown over the years to encompass several acres (hectares) with a complex of buildings and other attractions, including the National Buffalo Museum. However, the Buffalo remains the featured attraction. [5]
In June 2007, the city of Jamestown received a grant of $16,500 from Hampton Hotels' Save-A-Landmark program to refurbish the buffalo. The money was used to repaint the buffalo to look more lifelike and to enlarge the horns. Original designer Elmer Petersen directly oversaw the renovation. [6]
On July 24, 2010, the World's Largest Buffalo was named "Dakota Thunder", after a contest that drew more than 3,500 entries. [1]
Stutsman County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,593, making it the 8th most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat is Jamestown.
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Interstate 94 (I-94) runs east–west for 352.4 miles (567.1 km) through the southern half of the US state of North Dakota, from the Montana state line east to the Red River at Fargo. The route generally follows the route of the Northern Pacific Railway.
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Elmer Paul Petersen was an American sculptor who worked in metal. His most prominent artwork is the World's Largest Buffalo in Jamestown, North Dakota. Petersen lived and worked in Galesville, Wisconsin. Much of his art is publicly displayed around La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he led the Downtown La Crosse Sculpture Project Committee. The La Crosse Tribune called Petersen "one of the premier sculptors in the Coulee Region" and "instrumental in getting public sculpture scattered throughout downtown" La Crosse. He has worked significantly with welding, including that of found metal objects, and often sculpted in cast bronze.
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