One of America’s most spectacular buffalo jumps is in the wild rugged limestone bluffs along Montana’s Madison River.

To the untrained eye, this massive semicircular cliff seems just a part of the Big Sky landscape. But for nearly 2000 years (and as recently as 200 years ago) herds of buffalo thundered over this cliff, lured to their death by the Indians who gathered here.

Tons of bones still lie buried at the cliff’s base and archaeologists have located the tipi rings of an extensive village nearby. There are also evenly spaced rock cairns, called Dead Men, that marked the lanes down which the bison were driven.

Several of the Dead Men are still standing, and visitors can also see the tipi rings. The huge limestone promontory which was the jump itself is situated at the end of a lush rolling plateau where runners could easily find grazing herds of bison.

As the herd neared the drive lanes, the runners formed a line behind them and drove them straight into the trap. Young warriors hid behind the Dead Men along the drive lane, covering themselves with branches or buffalo robes. As the herd entered the drive lane, a decoy sprang out in front of them. The decoy was the fastest young man in the tribe, disguised in a complete buffalo skin including head and horns. The hazers would jump up and frighten the buffalo to keep them within the drive lane. At the edge of the cliff, the decoy would jump into a hole below the cliff face for his protection. And the frightened buffalo would leap over him, falling thirty feet to their deaths.

In the fall, large bands of Indians camped here preparing for the hunt. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Northern Shoshone used Madison Buffalo Jump most frequently. Because this was a popular camping area, many artifacts including arrowheads, ceremonial pipes, pottery shards and stone beads have been found at the site.

The jump was risky business, and not always successful. But the Indians relied on jumps like this one to supply them with enough food, shelter and clothing to survive Montana’s frigid winters.

To reach the park take the Logan exit off Interstate 90 (about 25 miles from Bozeman), and follow Buffalo Jump Road south for seven miles. Be sure to take the hike to the top of the jump for a buffalo-eye view of the beautiful Madison River Valley.