A Smithsonian Ice Age Bison Hunt, Displayed in Downtown Wray

Drive into Wray, a town near Colorado’s eastern edge, and you might not expect to find work from the Smithsonian Institution waiting inside the local museum. But it’s there, at 205 E 3rd Street, and it’s worth the detour.

In 1972 a farmer near Wray turned up thousands of bones. From 1973 to 1975, Smithsonian archaeologist Dennis Stanford led an excavation of what’s now called the Jones-Miller site. The city’s archaeology page reports the dig recovered roughly 41,000 bison bones and 248 stone artifacts, with radiocarbon dating placing the kill-and-butchery events at about 9,500 BC. Part of the actual bone bed and spear points are on display at the museum, so you’re looking at the real material, not a model.

It’s quietly remarkable that a small plains town keeps a permanent paleo-Indian exhibit like this. While you’re in the building, step into the Beecher Island Room, which tells the story of the 1868 battle and its long-running annual reunion nearby.

Confirm current hours and details on the City of Wray’s museum page before you go.