The Passing of the Buffalo

The Passing of the Buffalo statue might more accurately be called The Passing Around of the Buffalo Statue, as it has now been moved from New Jersey and is at its third location in Muncie, Indiana. Currently, it is appropriately placed in a roundabout, where it can be passed around more conveniently.

The beautiful statue of a Native American chief with his foot resting on the skull of a bison was created by renowned sculptor Cyrus Edwin Dallin. Dallin created over 260 statues, many of which depict Native Americans. The Passing of the Buffalo was created in 1929 and installed on the estate of Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge in Madison, New Jersey, in 1931.

Mrs. Dodge died in 1973, and the statue was purchased from her estate in 1975 by Margaret Ball Petty in honor of her late husband, Fred J. Petty. Mr. Petty died in 1949 and had been a director at the Ball Corporation in Muncie. The Ball family, their businesses, and their foundation have been benefactors of Muncie and its charities for many years. In 1976, the statue was placed at the intersection of Charles and Walnut Streets, where Mr. Petty had served as president of Ball Stores. The statue remained there until 1999.

The statue was then passed on to the lobby of the Minnetrista Museum and Gardens in Muncie, where it remained until 2007. Its current “passing” is to the roundabout at 599 S. Walnut Street, two blocks south of its original Muncie location.

If you are passing through Muncie, take a look around—the statue may be on the move.