Bison, or buffalo as they are commonly called, are the largest members of the cow family. Massive herds once inhabited the Great Plains of North America. Although buffalo are not actually native to Arizona, in 1905 Charles C. “Buffalo” Jones* brought some of these animals to the Kaibab Plateau near Bright Angel Point (now part of Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim). The buffalo were sold in 1926 to the State of Arizona and taken to nearby House Rock Valley. In the mid-1940s, the Arizona Game and Fish Department moved some the buffalo to the agency’s newly acquired Raymond Ranch (now called Raymond Wildlife Area). Today, these two state-managed herds of bison in northern Arizona offer a unique opportunity to view these majestic animals in a natural shortgrass prairie habitat. The House Rock Buffalo Ranch is located 21 miles south of US 89A in House Rock Valley and 41 miles from Jacob Lake. The Raymond Wildlife Area is located about 30 miles southeast of Flagstaff, off I-40 exit #225 (Buffalo Range Road).

*In his western saga The Last of the Plainsman, Zane Grey dramatically portrays the conversion of Charles Jesse “Buffalo” Jones from hunter to preserver of the American Bison. Jones gained worldwide attention with his exploits of capturing, taming and breeding the threatened buffalo.