About Dakota Thunder
Jamestown’s most famous resident weighs about sixty tons and has not moved since 1959. The enormous concrete bison commonly called the World’s Largest Buffalo stands 26 feet high and stretches roughly 46 feet from nose to tail.
Sculptor Elmer Petersen created the monument from steel framing, wire mesh, concrete, and cement plaster. Its size was ambitious enough that the finished animal became a landmark almost immediately, looming above the landscape near what is now Frontier Village and the National Buffalo Museum.
In 2010, a public naming contest gave the statue the name Dakota Thunder. The title fits a sculpture that looks less like a decorative animal than a building shaped into one. Visitors can walk close enough to see how exaggerated its mass really is, while an actual live bison herd can sometimes be seen on nearby pasture.
The monument remains outdoors and is visible year-round, although adjacent attractions have their own schedules. Visitors should check current local information before making a special trip. Even in a state unusually fond of giant animals, sixty tons of concrete buffalo is difficult to top.