Jamestown in Stutsman County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
World's Largest Buffalo
EST.1959
Photographed by Ruth VanSteenwyk, June 29, 2024
1. World's Largest Buffalo, EST.1959 Marker
The Interstate 94 highway between Jamestown and Valley City was complete in 1956 and officially opened across the state in 1958. This road construction prompted the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce to create an invitation for a stop in Jamestown. Harold Newman, of Newman Signs Inc., was chair of the Chamber and insisted that an attraction to stop motorists was needed. Enter, Elmer Petersen, a sculpture artist and professor at Jamestown College (today known and University of Jamestown), who agreed to build the World's Largest Buffalo.
The project began in April 1959 and was completed in October 1959. The total project cost $8,500; using steel beams, reinforcing rods, wire mesh, and gunite or sprayed cement. The 60-ton concrete giant stands 26 feet tall, is 14 feet wide, and 46 feet long. In 2010, the monument was named Dakota Thunder and it is considered one of the Midwest's most popular roadside attractions.
Today, the World's Largest Buffalo greets over 100,000 people every year. He loves taking photos with visitors as they touch his beard - an activity that has spanned generations. He watches kayakers and
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Parks & Recreational Areas • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1959.
Location. 46° 53.36′ N, 98° 41.922′ W. Marker is in Jamestown, North Dakota, in Stutsman County. It is on 17th Street Southeast east of Buffalo Museum Road, in the median. The marker is located in the Frontier Village a historical park and a five dollar donation is recommended. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jamestown ND 58401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Dakota’s Drift Prairie. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also
Photographed by Ruth VanSteenwyk, June 29, 2024
2. World's Largest Buffalo Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named World's Largest Buffalo (here, next to this marker); White Cloud (within shouting distance of this marker); Post Office (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Catholic Church in Stutsman County (approx. one mile away); St. James Catholic Church (approx. one mile away); 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse (approx. 1.1 miles away); Gilbert R. Horton (approx. 1.1 miles away); Peggy Lee (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jamestown.
Also see . . . Discover Jamestown World's Largest Buffalo. (Submitted on August 18, 2024, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota.)
Photographed by Ruth VanSteenwyk, August 17, 2024
3. World's Largest Buffalo
Credits. This page was last revised on August 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 18, 2024, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 292 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 18, 2024, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
