Press Release

BISON MUSEUM NOW OPEN IN SCOTTSDALE

Grand Opening Garners Rave Reviews

October 13, 2007 - SCOTTSDALE – The much anticipated Grand Opening of the Bison Museum took place Saturday, October 13, in Scottsdale. Festivities included a ribbon cutting, live entertainment, a performing bison, Percheron horses, and speeches by U.S. Senator Jon Kyl, Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross, Arizona State Historian Marshall Trimble, Old West author and historian Bob Boze Bell and former NFL quarterback and native Arizonan Danny White.

Mayor Manross, who anchored the ribbon cutting team, was certainly impressed with the museum. “This facility is very beautiful, it’s a great asset for our city,” said the mayor. “We need to encourage schools and families and children to come here to learn about our history.”

The educational value of the museum also struck a chord with historian Trimble who added, “I’m very pleased as a life long educator that we have something here in Scottsdale where we can bring school children out and show them the real West.”

The Bison Museum is owned and operated by Bison Homes, a premier builder of retreat cabin homes in northeast Arizona. The owner and president of Bison Homes, Gary Martinson, couldn’t have been happier with the opening.

“Just an outstanding day,” said Martinson. “We’re thrilled with the way things went. The museum received an excellent response from the general public.”

Suzanne Akre of Scottsdale certainly enjoyed her first visit. “What a great little slice of American history, right here in my own neighborhood. There’s so much to see, you need to go through more than once to catch everything.”

The Bison Museum showcases one of the premier bison and western collections in the country. It includes such exhibits as the “Dances with Wolves” display, Native American artifacts, and an assortment of bronzes, paintings and prints by Remington, Russell, Catlin, Clymer, Damrow and others. The Buffalo Bill Cody exhibit features prints, photos, trinkets, documents, one of his famous Sharps rifles and much more.

Also highlighted is the recently recovered work of the Flagg family, Scottsdale’s own “first family” of western artists. This collection includes paintings, sketches, tools, life size wood carved figures of Buffalo Bill, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok and more.

The Bison Museum is located at 16641 N. 91st Street in Scottsdale, just north of West World, and is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Sunday from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm, closed Mondays. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for children age 6 to 12, under age 6 free.

For more information, call the Bison Museum at 480-837-8700, or visit www.bisonhomes.com.