Smithsonian brings bronze bison to Iowa City

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - Large statues of bison were seen along Clinton Street in Iowa City Sunday. The large statues are visiting the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History as part of a nation-wide tour hosted by the Smithsonian.

The tour started in California and will bring the bison all the way to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 10th anniversary of bison becoming the national mammal.

Select stops across the country have been picked to highlight the bison’s history.

The bison also played a part in developing Iowa’s iconic landscape.

“The prairie could not have existed without the bison,” Liz Crooks, director of Pentacrest Museums, said. “It was integral in facilitating growth and the distribution of prairie plants, [it] also created trials of other animals.“

People are invited to the Museum of Natural History Sunday to meet the Smithsonian exhibitors and learn more at the school’s bison display.