Exploring the Buffalo Trace Route
The historic Buffalo Trace spans roughly 130 miles across southern Indiana, cutting diagonally from the Falls of the Ohio (near Clarksville and Louisville) to Vincennes on the Wabash River. Created by migrating bison and later used by pioneers, its path is closely followed by modern U.S. Highway 150 and State Road 56.
The large heavy beasts had created a pathway. Used for hundreds of years by Native Americans, the path was very likely familiar to the French, who had founded a trading post at Vincennes in the early 1700’s, and who probably visited the mineral licks along the trace. Known as the Buffalo or Vincennes Trace, the travel way was as durable as any road built today. Modern roads have been built along portions of its route and early pioneers used the Trace to cross the state.
In places like Springs Valley State Fish and Wildlife Area you can still walk in the paths that they once took. The route that we have laid out is one that we drove.
Springs Valley State Fish and Wildlife Area
Listed in Buffalo Trace Route, Park
S County Road 550 W, Paoli, IN 47454, Paoli, Indiana 47454
Springs Valley State Fish and Wildlife Area is a secluded, 1,228-acre property located just southeast of French Lick, Indiana. The trailhead for the 12 mile multiple-use trail has horse trailer parking, and there are picnic tables and hitching rails along...
William Henry Harrison Bronze statue
1002 N 1st St, Vincennes, IN 47591, Vincennes, Indiana 47591
Bronze statue of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States, stands prominently on the campus of Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana. This historic monument commemorates Harrison’s legacy as a military leader, territorial governor, and statesman. Surrounded by...
Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest
Listed in Buffalo Trace Route, National forest
1 S Triangle Rd, Paoli, IN 47454, Paoli, Indiana 47454
This 88-acre old growth oak-hickory forest has been virtually undisturbed since before it was purchased by Joseph Cox in 1816. After being protected by the Cox family for 124 years, when a descendent died in 1940, the land was sold...
Jasper City Mill
164 Third Ave, Jasper, IN 47546, Jasper, Indiana 47546
The first mill was constructed in 1815 by Andrew Evans, and in 1820 the Enlow family began operating it. During the 1870’s flour was shipped by flatboat down the Patoka River to the Wabash and Ohio Rivers and as far...
Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site
914 E Main St, New Albany, Indiana 47150
Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site offers visitors an opportunity to explore local history, regional heritage, and the stories that helped shape the surrounding community. Travelers interested in discovering hidden gems, historical connections, and the character of the Midwest will find...
Springs Valley State Fish and Wildlife Area
William Henry Harrison Bronze statue
Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest
Jasper City Mill
Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site
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