Located on US-183 Alternate, four miles south of I-70 and directly across from Historic Fort Hays is a small herd of buffalo. Free admission and visitors are welcome to view the herd from either the road that goes through Frontier Park or the access road south of the buffalo herd pasture.
The frontier Park buffalo herd was begun in 1953 with a bull named Wild Bill and a cow named Calamity Jane. The herd has grown to include the main bull, Max, and a harem of cows.
The area was the home to the largest herd of buffalo in North America, estimated in the millions. The importance of the buffalo to the Native Americans of the area should not be overlooked. The Indians depended on the buffalo for food, shelter, clothing and tools. They fought hard when millions of the animals were slaughtered as a result of the intrusion of the railroad and the white settlers.
Visitors will typically see 4 to 7 buffalo calves during the spring through fall. Toward the end of the year the calves are sold off to maintain a proper balance of available grass on the limited acreage through the winter months.
