Antelope Island State Park is an unexpected natural oasis in the middle of a heavily populated part of Utah bordering the Great Salt Lake.
Named for the beautiful herds of pronghorn antelope that reside here, the island is also home to bighorn sheep, mule deer, and one of the largest and oldest bison herds in the nation.
Antelope Island has large areas of dry grass prairie that provides a perfect habitat for bison to feed on year round.
After having most of the nation’s bison herd decimated by hunters in the late 1800’s, just 12 bison were brought over to the island by boat in 1893 to grow as a herd for private exhibition and hunting.
By the early 20th Century, the bison had indeed been fruitful and multiplied into the hundreds.
A publicized buffalo hunt in 1926 nearly wiped out the island’s entire population.
A great outcry arose across the nation with activists demanding a stop to the slaughter, which was successful. The herd began to grow again rapidly, and now number between 550 and 700.
Now, over 300,000 visitors per year come to be amongst the amazing Bison herds as they graze upon the abundant grasslands throughout the park, looking up at the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.
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