Buffalo sculptures unveiled at Louisville restaurant honor the area's past

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — When you think of buffalo, you probably think of huge prairies in the western part of the U.S.

But now, you can also think of Preston Highway in Louisville.

Friday, buffalo sculptures were unveiled at the Craft House Pizza, 4041 Preston Highway.

The sculptures commemorate Wilderness Road, which is now Preston Highway.

In the 17th century, Dr. Thomas Walker and five companions documented their journey through the Cumberland Gap in southeast Kentucky, according to a news release. Many people explored and traveled through the area using paths that had been carved out by migrating buffalo, deer, elk and bear.

"What I really enjoy about this, the historical connection, is that the buffalo remind us that we weren't here first," Katrina Johansen, artist who created the buffalo sculptures, said. "There's been many entities here before us."

Calls for the creation of the art started six years ago, and in 2021, a banner stretched across Preston Highway calling attention to and asking for donations for the project. About $2,000 was raised from neighbors.