Colorado History Lesson: Bison on the Colorado National Monument

This Colorado history lesson is all about the bison that used to live on the Colorado National Monument for nearly 60 years. Here's how the bison got there.

You won't see any bison on the Colorado National Monument, but not too long ago, you could. This Colorado history lesson is about how bison lived on the Colorado National Monument for almost 60 years, thanks to John Otto.

According to the Historical Photos of Fruita & Western Colorado's Facebook, John Otto introduced bison to the Colorado National Monument in 1925. He introduced a bull and two bison cows to the area, which eventually grew to be a herd of 26 bison.

John Otto fell in love with the Colorado National Monument as soon as he laid eyes on it. John even got married there, since it was his favorite place, and it's now named Wedding Canyon in his honor.

He built a fenced enclosure on the Colorado National Monument for the bison, according to the Historical Photos of Fruita & Western Colorado's Facebook. The bison had 1700 acres to roam on the Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction.

This picture was taken in the 1930s or 1940s, very bravely, since there's no fence or protective barrier between the photographer and bison in sight. The bison are so big, majestic, fierce, and adorable all at once.

According to the Historical Photos of Fruita & Western Colorado's Facebook, the National Park Service removed the 26 bison from the Colorado National Monument in 1983 and moved them to Badlands National Park.