The Rise and Fall of the Wild Iowa Bison

Way back in the days before Iowa gained statehood, anyone who lived or traveled through the area would likely see hundreds, if not thousands, of wild bison thundering along the prairie.

There was a time when wild bison were found all over the Hawkeye State. Its tall prairie grass was ideal for the giant mammal Native Americans called "Tatanka". In fact, it's estimated that between 30 and 60 million wild bison once roamed the plains states, with many of them living in Iowa.

As we know, the bison was driven to near extinction in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1870, the very last report of truly wild bison in Iowa occurred just west of Spirit Lake. It wasn't a herd; it was just a solitary pair.

What happened to bison in Iowa after that, and where can you find the animal within the state's boundaries today? You might be surprised at the answers to those questions.

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So, how did the state of Iowa go from potentially millions to just a single pair of bison in 1870?

Overhunting was the first and major cause. Commercial hide demand, government policies, and railroad expansion drove this.

Another cause that's talked about less is the weather. The winters of the 1840s were particularly brutal in Iowa (some of the worst in history), and in 1844, there was a massive, early-season event that trapped thousands of bison in deep snowdrifts. Because they couldn't move or find grass, they were either killed by predators or starved. The bad weather only made things worse for bison in the area, making them more vulnerable to disease and easier to kill by local hunters.

The arrival of the railroads in the mid-1800s changed everything for the wild bison in Iowa. The tracks physically cut through migration routes, splitting herds into smaller, more exposed groups. The railroads made it much easier to ship thousands of heavy bison hides to American markets on the eastern seaboard. Professional "market hunters" began systematic slaughters, often taking only the tongue and the hide, leaving the rest to rot on the prairie.

The final sighting of wild bison in Iowa came in 1870, just west of Spirit Lake. After that sighting, the wild thunder of the prairie officially went silent. Within a single generation, an animal that had defined the landscape for 10,000 years was (by all accounts) extinct in the Hawkeye State.

Since then, wild bison have made a slow and gradual comeback in Iowa. These days, you can find them in several spots across the state.

Here are some of the best spots to see the "Return of the Kings" of the Iowa prairie today:

• Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (Prairie City): Just 25 miles east of Des Moines and the gold standard for bison restoration. It has a herd of 70 bison, and visitors can take a 5-mile tour that takes them across the 800-acre enclosure.
• Broken Kettle Grasslands (Plymouth County): This is the largest bison prairie in the state. This herd is famous because the animals are genetically pure, meaning they have zero cattle ancestry, something that is a bit of a rarity in modern bison these days. Visitors can drive along Butcher Road for a scenic view of the Loess Hills and the bison themselves. However, you'll want to bring binoculars as the park is a staggering 3,000 acres.
• Jester Park (Granger): At Jester, you're almost guaranteed a bison sighting. They have an Elk and Bison Educational Plaza with an elevated observation deck and spotting scopes. This is the perfect spot for families, especially if you want to get in and out in an hour or so.

For a more in-depth look at the decline of bison in Iowa, check out the Iowa PBS documentary in the YouTube clip below.

Story Sources: Iowa PBS