Labor Day, 5 September will be the last day we will be open this summer. Come out, visit us and celebrate another year!

Labor Day, 5 September will be the last day we will be open this summer. Come out, visit us and celebrate another year!

Contact Information
Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation P.O. Box 369 Sundance, WY 82729 Telephone: (307) 266-9530Contact Information
Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation
P.O. Box 369
Sundance, WY 82729
Telephone: (307) 266-9530
Send us a message. Fill out the form and click on the submit button.
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Again this semester, we have two Vore Scholars. With this week's post, we introduce Dakota Buhmann. She is an Evanston, Wyoming native who transferred to the University of Wyoming from Sheridan College in 2021 after completing my Associated Degree in History. She is in her senior year at UW pursuing a Bachelors in Anthropology with minors in Honors and Museum studies. She is specifically interested in bioarchaeology and loves working with bones and skeletons because of the stories they tell and the insights they can provide into the life they once contained. In the future, she hopes to work on human remains recovery and reclamation and in addition to her work with the Vore Collection is currently working on an oral history of the 1960s archaeological excavations of Hell Gap National Historic Landmark where she excavated in the summer of 2022. Hell Gap is a Paleo-Indian stratified campsite located north of Guernsey, Wyoming. We are glad that her interest in faunal remains led her to apply for the internship supported by the VBJF. ... See MoreSee Less

- Likes: 56
- Shares: 5
- Comments: 4
She has a wonderful life ahead for her. God Bless.
Dakota Trish Buhmann
Yay!
Wahoo!
Fascinating article shared by one of our VBJF members on hunting traps in the Middle East. Thanks, Dennis!
news-artnet-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/news.artnet.com/art-world/scientists-have-cracked-the-orig....
... See MoreSee Less
This week we have an artifact shared by Molly Herron. At the most basic level, arthritis is the overgrowth of bone cells called “osteoblasts” this overgrowth can be congenital (a condition the animal was born with), can result from a poorly healed injury, or can develop through normal wear-and-tear throughout an animal’s life. This week, our artifacts are a proximal phalanx (finger bone), a thoracic vertebra, and a lumbar vertebra from the same canid recovered at the Vore sinkhole. This animal, which may have been a coyote, wolf, or domestic dog, had developed fairly extensive arthritis. If this animal was a domestic dog, perhaps the arthritis in its vertebral column may have been caused by pulling
travois or sleds – a very common task for indigenous dogs. The arthritis in the foot may have
resulted from an old injury. Regardless, judging by the fusion rate and the condition of the bones,
this animal was in its mid to late age when it died.
Research of the Vore collection is funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and
Library Services and in part by donations from supporters to the Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation.
... See MoreSee Less




Fascinating post, Molly Herron! Thanks so much!
Ann Stephens and Erin Kelley are sharing the Vore Site artifact of the week. This is one of the innominate or pelvic girdle bones from a bison, and there is an unusual puncture on the medial portion of the right ischium. We believe that the puncture occurred at approximately a 60 degree angle. Microscopic analysis performed by UW Biological Anthropologist Rick Weathermon indicates that the penetration was peri-mortem (at/around time of death), and, due to the presence of compressed cancellous bone, it appears that the implement was wiggled free. It was likely not from a projectile point, more likely from a knife or similar tool. A secondary mark indicates that the puncture was made with a triangular shaped implement with a sharp point. We are fairly confident this is some form of human modification, although, due to the unusual location of the puncture we wanted to ask if anyone has any ideas about what could have caused such a mark. These photos show the puncture as well as a photo of the bone next to a complete pelvis for context. ... See MoreSee Less




Something like this maybe?
A horn
Karen Blanchard
An ax tip.
This week, Ann Stephens shares information on artifacts from the Vore Collection. Pictured are three subadult bones, a mandible, a tibia, and an ulna, alongside their adult counterparts. One of the more shocking parts of curating the Vore Collection is stumbling across small bones from subadult bison. However dismal it may be to think about calves being killed in mass bison hunts, the presence of subadult bones provides information about the timing of the jumps at the Vore Site. Bones from very young calves indicate springtime jumps, which is thought to be the case for 2 of the 22 hunts at the Vore -- the others occurred in the late fall. The bones found at the Vore also indicate that herds of females and calves were targeted, alluding to the more solitary behavior of male bison, and the more gregarious behavior of cow/calf groups. ... See MoreSee Less



Send us a message. Fill out the form and click on the submit button.
Check out our Facebook Feed! Like our page so you don't miss current updates.
Again this semester, we have two Vore Scholars. With this week's post, we introduce Dakota Buhmann. She is an Evanston, Wyoming native who transferred to the University of Wyoming from Sheridan College in 2021 after completing my Associated Degree in History. She is in her senior year at UW pursuing a Bachelors in Anthropology with minors in Honors and Museum studies. She is specifically interested in bioarchaeology and loves working with bones and skeletons because of the stories they tell and the insights they can provide into the life they once contained. In the future, she hopes to work on human remains recovery and reclamation and in addition to her work with the Vore Collection is currently working on an oral history of the 1960s archaeological excavations of Hell Gap National Historic Landmark where she excavated in the summer of 2022. Hell Gap is a Paleo-Indian stratified campsite located north of Guernsey, Wyoming. We are glad that her interest in faunal remains led her to apply for the internship supported by the VBJF. ... See MoreSee Less

She has a wonderful life ahead for her. God Bless.
Dakota Trish Buhmann
Yay!
Wahoo!
Fascinating article shared by one of our VBJF members on hunting traps in the Middle East. Thanks, Dennis!
news-artnet-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/news.artnet.com/art-world/scientists-have-cracked-the-orig....
... See MoreSee Less
This week we have an artifact shared by Molly Herron. At the most basic level, arthritis is the overgrowth of bone cells called “osteoblasts” this overgrowth can be congenital (a condition the animal was born with), can result from a poorly healed injury, or can develop through normal wear-and-tear throughout an animal’s life. This week, our artifacts are a proximal phalanx (finger bone), a thoracic vertebra, and a lumbar vertebra from the same canid recovered at the Vore sinkhole. This animal, which may have been a coyote, wolf, or domestic dog, had developed fairly extensive arthritis. If this animal was a domestic dog, perhaps the arthritis in its vertebral column may have been caused by pulling
travois or sleds – a very common task for indigenous dogs. The arthritis in the foot may have
resulted from an old injury. Regardless, judging by the fusion rate and the condition of the bones,
this animal was in its mid to late age when it died.
Research of the Vore collection is funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and
Library Services and in part by donations from supporters to the Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation.
... See MoreSee Less




Fascinating post, Molly Herron! Thanks so much!
Ann Stephens and Erin Kelley are sharing the Vore Site artifact of the week. This is one of the innominate or pelvic girdle bones from a bison, and there is an unusual puncture on the medial portion of the right ischium. We believe that the puncture occurred at approximately a 60 degree angle. Microscopic analysis performed by UW Biological Anthropologist Rick Weathermon indicates that the penetration was peri-mortem (at/around time of death), and, due to the presence of compressed cancellous bone, it appears that the implement was wiggled free. It was likely not from a projectile point, more likely from a knife or similar tool. A secondary mark indicates that the puncture was made with a triangular shaped implement with a sharp point. We are fairly confident this is some form of human modification, although, due to the unusual location of the puncture we wanted to ask if anyone has any ideas about what could have caused such a mark. These photos show the puncture as well as a photo of the bone next to a complete pelvis for context. ... See MoreSee Less




Something like this maybe?
A horn
Karen Blanchard
An ax tip.
This week, Ann Stephens shares information on artifacts from the Vore Collection. Pictured are three subadult bones, a mandible, a tibia, and an ulna, alongside their adult counterparts. One of the more shocking parts of curating the Vore Collection is stumbling across small bones from subadult bison. However dismal it may be to think about calves being killed in mass bison hunts, the presence of subadult bones provides information about the timing of the jumps at the Vore Site. Bones from very young calves indicate springtime jumps, which is thought to be the case for 2 of the 22 hunts at the Vore -- the others occurred in the late fall. The bones found at the Vore also indicate that herds of females and calves were targeted, alluding to the more solitary behavior of male bison, and the more gregarious behavior of cow/calf groups. ... See MoreSee Less


