The Legend Of The Albino Bison In North Dakota Is Fascinating

One of the most iconic animals in America is the mighty bison. In fact, it’s the country’s official national mammal. North Dakota is part of the vast plains that millions of bison used to roam on, and today hundreds still do within the state. They’re an integral part of the state – both as part of the native wildlife and even as things like being the mascot for NDSU. The Peace Garden State is even home to the National Buffalo Museum, which was also home to the only true albino bison in North Dakota.

It’s not uncommon to see bison in North Dakota. Herds roam in places like the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and White Horse Hill National Game Preserve. They are arguably one of the most iconic animals in the state.

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You can even check out the “World’s Largest Buffalo” (bison) in Jamestown, North Dakota. Dakota Thunder towers over everything around it, including an actual bison herd.

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The giant bison statue is part of the National Buffalo Museum, which was also home to an extremely rare creature: a true albino bison.

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Albino bison are incredibly rare. In the wild, they usually do not live very long due to health issues that come with albinism and because they stand out in a crowd. It wasn’t hard to spot the white bison of the museum while they were there!

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In 1997, a true albino, pure bison (with no cattle genes) was brought to the museum. Her name was White Cloud, or Mahpiya Ska in the Sioux language. Here, she had many calves over the years, and one of them was Dakota Miracle - another white bison.

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White Cloud was totally deaf and also had limited vision due to her albinism. Being protected at the museum resulted in her living a long, full life to the age of 20 years old. In 2016, White Cloud died of natural causes. White bison are sacred to many Native American tribes, and many people made a pilgrimage to visit her over the years.

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Her son, Dakota Miracle, remained in the herd until he passed away in 2019. Still, White Cloud’s legacy lives on through other descendants.

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Today, you can still visit the National Buffalo Museum and see the white bison, skillfully mounted and preserved. These rare creatures became an icon of not only Jamestown but all of North Dakota as well. Have you seen them in person?

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Even though the white bison are no longer with us, a visit to the National Buffalo Museum is a must for anyone visiting North Dakota. You can learn more about it by visiting its official website.