Bison Stories 1
For a wildlife lover and author who moved to Missoula Montana from North Carolina, the bison became an awesome presence early on as a symbol of wild America. I had to write about it!
I started writing nonfiction for young readers in 1972, right after we moved to Missoula, where my husband, Greg, got a job as a professor in the zoology department at the University of Montana. I couldn’t have wished for a better “headquarters” for my new career, and the Bison Range quickly became a favorite location to visit.
I had learned early in my career that the best inspiration for writing comes with personal experience. An early book of mine was “Raccoons, Coatimundis, and Their Family.” My books had been getting good reviews up to this time. But then I read a review of the raccoon book that said something about how well I put the readers into the story because of my personal experiences with raccoons. Hmmm……I thought, I guess that’s true. I had enjoyed raccoon interactions while at Friday Harbor Marine Labs and included some of that in the book. From then on, I did my best to find ways to get to know “my” animals on a personal level.
When I wrote “Buffalo: The American Bison Today,” in 1985, I’d already enjoyed Bison Range visits many times. But when photographer Bill Muñoz and I signed our contract to write about bison, we also got a special permit from the Range to have more “intimate” opportunities with the animals. He needed photos, and I needed that “personal experience.”
When you read about bison and their “thundering herds” before we almost annihilated them, it’s impressive. But how about experiencing a taste of that power by lying on the ground right outside the corral during the semi-annual bison roundup at the Range? The roundup goal is to bring in all the bison, check on their health and inoculate them against some diseases, and decide how many to thin out of the population. Bill and I, and a National Geographic photographer, had that privilege one year. In those days, the bison were gathered and herded into the corral in groups by horseback “cowboys.” We could hear the herd as it galloped towards the corral, then suddenly the bison were there, heading straight for us across the corral, then thundering in and skidding to a stop while whirling up dust just before the fence. Whew! Their power in action and their ability to control that power and not slam into the fence sank in deeply!
Because of our book, we were also able to visit areas of the Range that weren’t open to regular visitors. This allowed us to see the animals as they lived their lives away from the tourist loop road.
Spending time on the Refuge away from the tourist road in different seasons really gave me a feel for these powerful animals and helped me write “Buffalo: The American Bison Today,” which was chosen for the School Library Journal Best Books of the Year list of 1986.
My interest in bison has continued throughout my career, as you’ll see in upcoming posts, leading to magazine articles and future books. Stay “tuned” for more about bison and how people have related to them over time.
Very exciting, Dorothy. Buffalos could destroy a corral if you stampeded them into it! More tales!
Jon
The Bison Range is one of my favorite places to visit in the springtime. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recollections. And the San Juans - a to-die for place to do graduate research!