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Historic place

Tatanka: Story of the Bison

100 Tatanka Drive, Deadwood, SD

Kevin Costner built it after filming "Dances with Wolves" — and then spent over a decade in a legal fight with the sculptor over whether he was even allowed to sell it.

📅 2003–present🏛️ MuseumStill hereBuilt 2003
Open on the mapSlide back to 2003

The story

Kevin Costner opened Tatanka: Story of the Bison in 2003, just north of Deadwood on US-85, inspired by his work on "Dances with Wolves." Its centerpiece is one of the world's largest bronze installations — 17 pieces (14 charging bison and 3 Native riders) by sculptor Peggy Detmers, depicting a buffalo-jump hunt, alongside an interpretive center on Lakota history. A 2000 agreement governing the sculptures' permanent display turned litigious: cases reached the South Dakota Supreme Court in 2012 and again in 2023, after Costner listed the property for sale in 2021. The attraction remains open (2026 season), contrary to a common impression it closed in 2022.

Everything that was here

Did you know?

The 17-piece bronze installation is among the largest in the world.
Costner and sculptor Peggy Detmers fought a multi-year legal battle (reaching the SD Supreme Court twice) over whether he could sell the property without the sculptures.
Costner's 2021 sale listing is likely the source of the mistaken impression the attraction had closed.

Connected places

The Midnight Star

Deadwood, SD
Kevin Costner

Dances With Wolves Winter Camp Site

Savoy, SD
Dances with Wolves

Bear Butte (Matȟó Pahá)

Sturgis, SD
Lakota

Deadwood Main Street Historic District

Deadwood, SD
Lakota

Explore the full web of connections on the map.

Nearby history

Days of '76 Museum & Rodeo

18 Seventy Six Drive · 1.2 km away
A century-old rodeo modeled on Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, held in a town famous for a poker hand — now ranked among

Wing Tsue Bazaar

566 Main St · 1.9 km away
For nearly 45 years a pair of brick buildings on Lower Main held the heart of Deadwood's Chinatown — the shop, home, and

Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10

624 Main St · 2.3 km away
Wild Bill Hickok was shot dead here on August 2, 1876, holding two pair — aces and eights, black on black — forever know

The Gem Theatre

Lower Main Street (Wall & Main) · 2.3 km away
Al Swearengen's Gem Theatre pulled in as much as $10,000 a night from gambling, liquor, and coerced prostitution — and b

Bullock Hotel

633 Main Street · 2.4 km away

Mount Moriah Cemetery

10 Mt Moriah Dr · 2.5 km away
Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, and Potato Creek Johnny all rest on this hillside overlooking the town th

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Sourceshttps://storyofthebison.com/