Bison Facts

By 1902, poachers had cut Yellowstone's wild bison down to about two dozen animals. They hid in Pelican Valley, the last free herd left in the country. Today the park counts nearly 5,300 bison. Most summer mornings in Hayden Valley, the herd walks straight down the centerline. Traffic stops in both directions. Rangers still give the same order: stay in the car, be patient, and never honk.

A Texas ranch wife helped save the American bison. By 1878, hide hunters had nearly wiped out the southern herd. Mary Ann Goodnight urged her husband Charles to rescue a few orphaned calves. Those calves started one of five herds that seeded nearly every bison in North America. Their descendants still roam Caprock Canyons State Park, right through the campground.