Buffalo, Oleson Farms

As I pulled into Traverse City a few weeks ago while in Michigan, I drove past my hotel before I realized I had missed it. Right as I went to turn around, I looked over to see a good sized herd of Buffalo grazing in a pasture next to the highway. Seriously, I did a double take thinking I was not seeing right. Turns out the Buffalo belong to Oleson Farms who sells their meat and hides and have since the early 1900's.

I was struck by how many calves were in the herd. There seemed to be quite a lot of them.

There are approximately 300 Buffalo at Oleson's Farms in Traverse City right now. It all began as an experiment in the early 1900's when the Oleson's grandfather bought three Buffalo. I guess the experiment worked. At one point, the Oleson's had 500 Buffalo which was the largest herd east of the Mississippi. I think any herd east of the Mississippi would be considered large. You never know what you're going to find when you travel, so keep your eyes open. ENJOY!