More than a century ago, the massive mammals actually grazed beside the Smithsonian Castle. As of today, two large sculptures continue that legacy as they flank the museum’s main entrance Photographs by Donny Bajohr March 20, 2026 Donny Bajohr A decade ago, the bison received a long overdue title: the official mammal of the United States. An acknowledgment of its profound cultural, historical and ecological importance, the act of Congress asserted what biologists had known for a while, that bison (often called “buffalo”) are actually a distinct species found nowhere else in the wild but North America. Starting today, the bison gets even more acclaim. As part of the Smithsonian Institution’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, three bronze bison —a bull, cow and calf—now grace the entrance of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Award-winning sculptor Gary Staab was commissioned to design the colossal bronze trio.…