Once having had free reign throughout Oklahoma and the Plains, now they can only be observed on reserves, grazing on the wild grasses of places like Woolaroc or roaming the rolling hills of Pawhuska's Prairie Grass Reserve.
Those living near and traveling through Bartlesville though have likely seen a rather strange development.
It seems these creatures having been pushed around by mankind for at least a hundred years have over the last year been pushing into more urban territories, such as in downtown Bartlesville.
Those visiting Bartlesville can see the buffalo quietly standing at intersections with their massize heads lowered to the ground seemingly considering grazing on the lawns of Earl Sears Park in front Central Middle School and dominating a roadside strip of grass near the Bartlesville Community Center.
They have become quite the attraction, pedestrians often stopping, holding up their cellphones and taking snap shots of the docile beasts.
The colors and designs painted on the backs of the buffalo provide a constant freestanding artshow.
One sports wings, flying goggles and an eye patch, another displays on its side the flag of United States onto which is superimposed the bust of the Statue of Liberty and a third recalls Van Gogh's "Starry Night" though with the Bartlesville skyline stretched out beneath the celestial swirls of light.
These fiberglass buffalo likenesses are the brainchild of Bluestem Girl Scout Troop 208. Two years ago, the troop wanting to do a city-wide art project generated the idea of "the Buffalo Stampede" and later decided to not only use the project to beautify and give character to Bartlesville, but to benefit those less fortunate in Bartlesville by making the project a fundraiser for Mary Martha Outreach.
Bartlesville-based
Mary Martha Outreach is a nonprofit entity housed in a warehouse in west Bartlesville that provides food, clothes, furniture, hygenic supplies and even services such as hair-cuts to the needy, all for free.
A local artist working with MMO took the concept of the Stampede and materialized it, making renderings and sending them to a company in Nebraska where the 2-D beasts on paper became the 3-D life-size sculptures now seen throughout Bartlesville.
The sculptures arriving from the factory though were by no means complete. The 15 buffaloes were white and needing painting. Mary Martha Outreach began selling the "albino" creatures to businesses for $5,000 each, the purchase price gaining each participating business a buffalo, an artist -- who would paint the creature as the business directed -- and a $750 allowance in paint and supplies to enshroud the white beast with color. Once completed, the buffalo would be placed to a location of the company's liking.
The first completed buffaloes began appearing in the Bartlesville downtown in February this year.
Susie Webb with MMO said the buffaloes were a hard sell at first, saying in the down economy few companies wanted to invest in the animals. However, as the sculptures began appearing around town and drawing attention, the Stampede gained momentum.
"But now people are seeing them around town -- 'Well, that is pretty cool!' -- (the fundraiser) is starting to sell them," said Webb.
She said even area schools are starting to purchase the buffaloes saying that St. John Catholic school recently bought a buffalo which the school plans its students to paint.
"Now they are starting to say it's a cool thing."
Gesturing toward the three white buffalo standing idle in the warehouse, "These are the last three that we have," she said. "One of them is ours and we haven't figured out what we are going to do."
Later she found out that even the buffalo reserved for MMO's creative plans has been sold to a business and said whereas she thought their would only be 15 head in the herd, the Stampede has become so popular, MMO now has plans to order more sculptures made.
Among the various entities to have purchased buffaloes are Woolaroc, OK Mozart, Tri County Technology Center and others.
One buffalo is available for viewing in the lobby of the downtown Bartlesville 66 Federal Credit Union location where it is under the paint brush of local artist Cindy Bennett every Thursday afternoon.
She is painting the buffalo in acrylic, using a stencil to cover its silver colored back with what will be nearly 200 buffalo nickels. The head is painted a bright blue. Current design plans include "branding" the buffalo's hind quarters with the Credit Union's blue logo.
The design was chosen as the buffalo nickel is considered by many as a work of art with its Great Plains images -- the American Indian on its obverse and the buffalo on the reverse.
This buffalo is not the only buffalo Bennett has decorated. She completed one buffalo for the Buffalo Stampede called "Starry Night Over Bartlesville" located in Earl Sears Park at the corner of Adams Blvd. and Cherokee Street.
Bennett said she has donated 16 hours painting the buffalo at the credit union.
She said all the artists working on the buffaloes are donating their efforts.
"We donate our time because we love to paint and we love Mary Martha."
After the 66 Federal Credit Union buffalo is painted, he will be coated with a weather-proofing material and join the herd that is slowly appearing around town.
The credit union is taking
suggestions for a name for the buffalo until Nov. 30. One will be chosen before the buffalo roams to his permanent home.
