The National Buffalo Museum is a nonprofit organization and derives operating funds from memberships, museum entrance fees, museum store income and charitable gaming. Charitable contributions are especially important and we depend heavily on the generosity of donors to develop exhibits and programs, and maintain our facilities. Please visit the museum during your stay in Jamestown, and, if your circumstances permit, consider lending your support.
History
The North Dakota Buffalo Foundation (NDBF), d.b.a., The National Buffalo Museum, formed in 1991 with a nine-member board and an overwhelming desire to start a herd of buffalo that would graze in the pasture just below the “World’s Largest Buffalo.” The first five animals came from Theodore Roosevelt National Park and made their home in Jamestown in 1991. A few years later the merger between the National Buffalo Association and the American Bison Association into the National Bison Association created a need for a facility to house and display numerous accumulated buffalo-related artifacts, artwork, and historical memorabilia, and the NDBF opened the National Buffalo Museum in June of 1993.
The North Dakota Buffalo Foundation is dedicated to preserving the history of the bison, as well as, promoting the bison industry of today. The museum is home to numerous art works, artifacts, and related Native American items. Visitors to the museum will see items such as a 10,000 year old bison skull, a complete skeleton of bison antiqus (ancestor to the modern bison), the full body mount of White Cloud, Jamestown’s beloved albino bison, artworks and artifacts relevant to the history of the American bison, and the Buffalo Hall of Fame, where visitors learn about the individuals who have had significant impacts on conservation and restoration of the US National Mammal.
Current Board Members
Don Williams, President
Wesley Newton, Vice President
Deb Backer, Treasurer
Chris Mikkelson, Secretary
Arnie Becker
Jolene Biloff
Dani Stuckle
Neil Weatherly
Carroll Wentland
Dick Gehring
Jud Seaman