Under the guidance of Dr. Spencer Pelton, Wyoming State Archaeologist, you will be excavating bones from the exposed bonebed floor that have been damaged by flooding in the previous several years. You can expect to find bison skulls, long bones, ribs, vertebrae, and arrow points and perhaps stone tools—all evidence of the Native American tribes who used this site. 

To date, only about five percent of the site has been excavated and this year’s excavation will focus on the some of the uppermost levels at the site, which represent some of the last bison jump events on the Great Plains.

Working conditions

The Vore Buffalo Jump is enclosed within a structure, so work is conducted within a protected space. The sit requires a short, paved walk into the bottom of the sinkhole. The path is steep, but it is even handicap accessible. The site hosts daily tours during the summer, so participants would likely be watched by tour participants during their work. That said, you will be expected to kneel and sit for long periods of time and you will get dirty. 

Workdays

When you arrive on your first day, Dr. Pelton will provide an introductory lecture and tour of the site. This will be followed by 1:1 instruction on excavation protocols.

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• Whether you are onsite for 2 or more days, site work each day will begin at 8am and conclude at 4pm. 

• There will be a 1 hour lunch break (pack your own lunch) 

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Physical Fitness Requirements

A moderate to high level of physical fitness is required and you should be in good health and capable of working in a rugged and remote environment. Activities involve walking 1 to 5 km daily on uneven terrain, sometimes in high heat. You will be standing or crouching for extended periods during excavations and will occasionally be asked to lift field gear.

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Click here for more details on what to expect on a archaeology dig. 

All necessary excavation, survey, and documentation tools are provided.​

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Clothing

• Work clothes that you don't mind getting dirty

• Hiking boots

• Sunscreen

• Bug spray

• Water bottles

• Work gloves (for excavation and handling tools)​

NEEDS: Suggest accommodations in Sundance, Wyoming

A packed lunch for any dig days

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Ideas for fieldtrips in the area:

• Dr. Pelton can potentially accompany groups nearby to the quartzite quarries in the Bear Lodge Mountains from which some of the Vore stone tools were made

• Devil's Tower

• The Hot Springs Mammoth paleontological site (I have contacts here and can arrange for special activites)

• Rock art sites, and other historic landmarks in the northern Black Hills. 

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Pricing is based on the dates of your choosing and a 4-guest minimum, double occupancy. ​

Includes:

• xxxx

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Excludes:​

• International airfare

• Meals not mentioned

• Other activities not mentioned

• Travel Insurance is mandatory  

• All other travel necessities /valid passports and visas, for travel from point of original departure through to the final destination are strictly the responsibility of the traveller.  

1. What makes the Vore Site significant?

Vore is significant as the only known bison jump into a sinkhole and for the exceptional preservation characteristics. Nowhere else in North America do we have such a detailed, well-preserved record of hunting that spans 22 discernable events.

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2.  What has been most surprising about the discoveries at this site?

My office has primarily worked on the extant assemblage through our curation work. The biggest surprise to me has been how late the site was used, perhaps into the early 19th century. Vore spans the major cultural changes that occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries when the gun and horse were introduced to Plains Indian communities and likely represents one of the final bison jumps on the Great Plains. Those changes are indirectly reflected in the Vore assemblage.

3.  What are your current research objectives at this site?

We would like to start determining the impact of persistent hunting at the site on bison herd population genetics. The site is mostly bison bone, so the more important finds are those that in aggregate demonstrate how human hunting impacts things like herd structure.