The History of Buffalo National Park
Buffalo National Park, established in 1909, was created to preserve the plains bison. Estimated to have at one time numbered 30 million or more on the North American continent, the plains bison was on the brink of extinction by the late 1800s. In 1908, an area of 100,000 acres was set aside south of Wainwright and the first bison arrived at the new park in June 1909.
Buffalo National Park existed for thirty years. During this time it was world renowned. Soon the park had the largest bison herd in the world, which brought international attention. Even Hollywood film crews came to the park on two occasions in the 1920s to shoot footage for their westerns.
In 1939, Buffalo National Park closed its doors due to issues stemming from the overpopulation of the herd and financial constraints. The area was transferred to the Department of National Defence and used as a training area and internment camp for German Prisoners during the Second World War. Buffalo National Park was open for thirty years and played a significant role in saving the plains bison from extinction.
As the Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright, I offer my strongest personal endorsement and support to the Wainwright Buffalo National Park Interpretive Centre Foundation as you move towards your goal of creating the Buffalo Park Interpretive Centre and Regional Archives. The long and important history of the Buffalo National Park should be recognized. The entire region is in need of an interpretive centre and a professional archive that can provide east-central Alberta with a cultural and historic site that will secure, exhibit and store our historical records and make them available for future.
I know you are a very capable and competent group committed to this remarkably important project to promote and protect the heritage of this region of the west. It has been demonstrated again and again by communities in the area that they support this project as they turn out in the hundreds for events used to advance this project.
I truly look forward to this project moving along in the years ahead.
Leon Benoit, MP for Vegreville – Wainwright
