The History of the Park
In 1971, the year before the National River Park formally opened, owner Donny Stuart took his first canoe ride down the amazing Buffalo River.
“On that trip I became aware that the river had been so named because the first trappers who ventured into the region in the early 1800s found bison grazing along the riverbank in Boxley and other grassy valleys further down river. The land showed many remnants of Indian inhabitants from earlier times (even today you can still find arrowheads lying on the ground). As my family paddled down the river, my young imagination was constantly being triggered. The buffalo and native inhabitant factors added further to the powerful allure of the Ozarks natural beauty.”
Young Donny also observed that there was positively nowhere a person who loves riding dirt bikes was welcome to ride. The Ozark Mountains’ incredible terrain and forested natural beauty is like the promised land for dirt riding enthusiasts. Yet none was available for motorized use in the magnificent headwaters region.
“I made myself a promise on that first trip, someday I was going to buy acreage in this area and make it available for other dirt riders, offroad & outdoor enthusiasts.”
Subsequently, many more trips to the Buffalo River headwaters area were made. In 1980 Donny bought his first land parcel and began adding to it as he could.
“In those many years that passed, I never once saw a single Buffalo in this whole upper Buffalo River region.
The Park Service successfully reintroduced elk to the area a few decades ago. But, somehow the once native bison, majestic namesake of the Country’s first ever National River Park got disregarded and ignored.
When I purchased the hilltop pastures which overlook the Boxley Valley in 2004, I felt a true sense of duty to return bison to the land, possibly for the first time in a couple of centuries. My brother Danny and I then purchased a small herd that year.
It has been my life’s work putting this park together. It is my sincere hope that you who visit might enjoy riding, camping and recreating on this wonderful land as much as I have.”
Owner Donny Stuart says his first visit to Newton County and resulting first canoe ride down the amazing Buffalo River was in summer of 1971. The year before the National River Park formally opened.
“On that trip I became aware that the river had been so named because the first white adventurers into the region found bison grazing along the river banks in Boxley and other grassy valleys further down river. My young imagination was certainly triggered as we paddled along, and I thought of seeing buffalo herds hanging alongside the river banks.
With the land being so recently tied back to times of Indians, you could still find arrowheads lying on the ground. The buffalo factor added to the powerful allure that nature’s beauty had already revved to full throttle.
Subsequently, over the decades, I would take many more trips to the upper Buffalo River & headwaters area. Eventually, I bought land here and added to it as much as I could. But in all those many years & decades that passed, I never once saw a single Buffalo in this whole upper Buffalo River region.
When I was fortunate enough to purchase my wonderful hilltop pasture land, which overlooks the Boxley Valley, I felt a true sense of duty to put some bison back upon it, possibly for the first time in a couple of centuries. So…my brother Danny and I purchased a herd and provided the region with their roaming namesakes.
The Park Service had successfully reintroduced elk to the area a few decades earlier. But somehow, the once native bison, majestic namesake of the Country’s first ever National River Park, had been summarily disregarded and ignored.
The quite unexpected payoff for me has been all the joy I have gotten out of observing these incredible animals being themselves over the past couple of decades.
Well…other than those times when they bust through the fence, and take extended walkabouts on some of our neighbors’ ranches.
Yep, I suppose a buffalo will always just be a buffalo.”
– Donny Stuart
