Rangers from Wind Cave National Park will lead a free 3-hour tour tomorrow of the Sanson Homestead and Buffalo Jump.

Both are part of the Casey Ranch property acquired by the park two years ago, but Wind Cave Chief of Interpretation Tom Farrell says neither is open to the public on a regular basis yet…making tomorrow’s tour a rare opportunity for most people.

“We’re working on a visitor use plan that will open the  Sanson Ranch and the Buffalo Jump to visitation, and until that happens we open it just on a periodic basis so people can go and see what’s out there.

The tour will include a discussion of  last summer’s archeology investigation of the buffalo jump site, where paleo-indians would chase a herd of buffalo over a cliff to kill them, then set up camp below to butcher and process the bison.

Farrell says the buffalo jump and the ranch homestead were packaged together for the tour to try to show participants on the tour some of the similarities between the Native Americans and the homesteaders.

“At first it might  seem like there’s not a lot in common between a buffalo jump and a homestead, but the courage and tenacity necessary to live in this pretty arid and harsh environment have a lot in common, so it’s a great educational stop that we hope a lot of people come and visit.”

Tour participants will meet at the Wind Cave visitor center tomorrow at 9 a-m, then caravan out to the Sanson Ranch. Farrell says the hike is moderately strenuous and he recommends wearing good hiking shoes or boots, dressing for the weather, using sunscreen, and taking water.