Ben H. English Texas America

Mysterious Red Buffalo
Catherine Eaves July 29, 2021

Staring back at us, this traveller over time, left us in curious wonder. If only it would speak and reveal its origin, our curiosities would be settled. Instead, we are left to wonder, hypothesize and discuss its symbolism with others who have been here before us and who asked the same questions.

Was it Apache, Comanche, or perhaps Jumano passing through the area on the way to La Junta to trade their buffalo hides?

Why is it there? Was this the site of a successful buffalo hunt? Or was it simply a form of ancient graffiti?

Trying to assign a date to it depends on who did it. More than likely, we believe it is about 300 -400 years old.

Can we ever really understand what the thoughts and the world were like for aboriginal people living in a very different time with a different understanding of the universe around them?

This mysterious Red Buffalo of Big Bend National Park has yet to reveal its secrets. It only serves as a reminder that we are not the first to visit this land, others have come before us, and others, God willing, will come after us

Ben English accompanied me on my first journey to see the Red Buffalo. Once I learned the route, it was my privilege to guide Matt Walter to it, where the Red Buffalo calls to us through time, stoking our curiosities and connecting us to others who have come before us and witnessed the majesty of this land which we now call Big Bend National Park.

Matt Walter is a curator at The Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine which should be anyone’s first stop when visiting the area

Ben English has written several 5 stars reviewed books and is as close to an expert as you will find for the area (although he doesn’t like to admit that). Ben’s information is as follows:
Ben H. English
Alpine, Texas
USMC: 1976-1983
TCP: 1986-2008
Author of ‘Yonderings’ (TCU Press)
‘Destiny’s Way’ (Creative Texts Publishers)
‘Out There: Essays on the Lower Big Bend’ (Creative Texts Publishers)
‘The Uvalde Raider’ (Creative Texts Publishers)
Facebook: Ben H. English
Webpage: benhenglish.com

Special thanks to Tom Alex, of G4 Heritage Consulting and retired Big Bend National Park Archeologist, who took the time to give me his insight on the origins of the Red Buffalo