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The Watering Hole
Tourists at Friday’s McCook Community College History’s Mysteries bus tour of “The Watering Hole” get up close with a herd of 24 bison at one of the stops of the natural resources tour held in conjunction with the Buffalo Commons Storytelling and Music Festival. “The Watering Hole” tour began with a classroom presentation on the campus of the history and background of the Red Willow Dam as well as presentations from archaeologist Catherine Griffin, Bureau of Reclamation civil engineer Craig Scott, Natural Resource Specialist Nik Johnson and Aric Riggins, Superintendent of Parks. Tourists traveled to the dam for a look at the structure, gate control house and the chance to walk under the tunnel housing the main flow pipe beneath the dam. After a buffalo burger lunch in the Lighthouse Marina, Darrell Meister spoke about becoming a bison owner in 2012 with five head which has grown to 24 today. He spoke about the history and ecology of bison and industry trends. The tour concluded with an up-close look at some of the herd in a pasture north of the entrance to Hugh Butler Lake. A bison bull enjoyed an apple snack.
