We finally made it to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we’re visiting Rusty’s family. One of the things we wanted to do while we were here was to visit Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Located about an hour north of Tulsa, and 17 miles from the town of Pawhuska, Tallgrass consists of close to 40,000 acres of land owned or leased by The Nature Conservancy. Rusty’s mom, Sharon, had been telling us about Tallgrass with its wild bison, and sweeping vistas of the open prairie landscape. We were not to be disappointed.

What a stunning setting! The prairie consists of tallgrasses like big bluestem, Indiangrass, and switchgrass, home to an infinite number of butterflies, bees, birds, deer, and their famous wild bison. The calving season begins in May, and we were able to see many bison calves and yearlings, along with full grown male and female bison. Between 30 to 60 million bison once roamed the Great Plains of North America, which included the Tallgrass area. By the end of the 19th century, it was estimated that fewer than 1,000 bison survived.

Three hundred bison were introduced into Tallgrass in 1993, and the population has now grown to 2,300 animals. Grazing by bison plays an important role in maintaining the prairie’s ecosystem. When we arrived, the visitor center was not open, but two docents named Lucy and Karen were stationed outside to fill us in about Tallgrass’ rich history. We highly recommend a trip to this very special place.

If the town of Pawhuska sounds familiar to you, it’s because it’s home to The Pioneer Woman’s Mercantile and restaurant. We didn’t eat there because it was too crowded, but we enjoyed a fantastic lunch down the street at Grill 125. Thank you to Sharon and her partner Don for a wonderful day out!