Cody Runyan

I am a 6th generation Wyomingite, rancher, attorney, part Native American and entrepreneur. I was raised on a ranch in the Owl Creek Mountains which was 60 miles from the nearest town.

As a young boy, I was mesmerized by the Bison and its presence in a field at night with the sun slowly setting in the mountains. I was very familiar of what spiritual nature that the Bison played in the lives of long gone relatives of mine and how the Bison was the source of life for them.

I always wanted to go back to my roots and let the Bison be a part of my life. An opportunity arose around 2004 where I could once again be a part of this heritage and to allow the Bison remnants to be part of the future for younger generations. At that time in life I discovered that the Bison were getting prominence in the food industry because of their benefits to human consumption. However the animal was not receiving the notoriety for its natural beauty and elegance. In particular, the hides taken from the animals were either thrown away or should have been thrown away and did not represent the memories of the Bison that I grew up with.

Therefore I formed a company known presently as NORTH AMERICAN BISON COMPANY with the basic purpose of preserving the eloquence of the memories that I had of the Bison and to allow other consumers the ability to share in my dream of allowing the Bison to remain the, “Quiet Master,” of the mountains, fields and streams of the future. I did not have the money nor the land to buy all the remaining Bison alive but, I could help in making their heritage live on by not allowing their hides to rot away and preserve its natural beauty by having the hides tanned in a specific methodology and to allow others to share in this spiritual experience..

North American Bison Company has spent a great deal of time and money in coming up with a carefully planned method for the long forgotten techniques utilized in the tanning of a Bison Hide. In particular, it has its roots in the Spanish and Ecuadorian culture, with a touch of the American Native approach. In depth analysis has been used in coming up with this complex methodology for the tanning of the Bison Hide. Understand that this is a very difficult task in preserving the hide itself for proper tanning purposes and then to create the majestic end result.

The “Lost Art” is evident in the Hides that are tanned under our controlled environment, direction, touch and vision Future owners of our labor will enjoy the unique and limited ability to share in products made from this symbol of POWER, FREEDOM and SPIRITUALITY. Please come and be a part of my dream.