After a fun evening of catching up on emails and the news and processing some pictures we checked out of the motel around 9 this morning and headed for Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre. It's another Alberta Historical Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's considered the oldest, largest and best preserved of the many buffalo jump sites across the Western Plains.
Iitai'nikkio'pi - Kill Site. Archaeological evidence confirms the jump was first used about 5700 years ago. Originally the cliff was twenty meters high above the kill site, but after thousands of years, the buffalo bone deposits reached 10 meters in depth. This left only the 10 meters of exposed cliff seen today.
We got there before it opened but we able to wander around the outside interpretive area.
There was great signage explaining the whole process. The run over the cliff was just a small part of the hunt. It started in the Gathering Basin where the Plain People would gradually lure the buffalo herds. They marked out two rows with stones to form a drive land. Extending up to 8 km from the jump they were used to direct buffalo toward specific parts of the cliff. On hunt day, the tribes people would wear tree branches, bunches of grass etc. and stand by the stone path to keep the buffalo in the drive lanes. Then selected hunters would begin the stampede and keep up the noise and movement through the drive lanes. Once the buffalo had gone over the cliff the hunters would butcher the kill at their campsite below the cliffs.
Once the Interpretive Center opened we headed in there. We started with an outstanding film depicting the hunt. It shed a whole new light on what I had considered a rather gruesome and ugly method of hunting into something fascinating and real. The displays began with the pre-hunt ceremonies,
worked through the process of gather and driving the buffalo and ends with the dramatic kill at the cliff.
The Center itself is composed of seven levels built into the cliff of the hill. Exhibits focus on the geographical and climatic factors affecting these tribes as well as their lifestyle and history. It was a wonderful learning experience for us! A whole new appreciation of the culture and skills of their native people.
After several hours of wandering we headed back to the car and across the prairie again...
A really good harvest this year!
Lots of oil wells pumping out here!
And huge sprinkling systems to water the hectares of crops!
Time for a quick drive through lunch as we head east.
Ahh..badlands here we come...
Welcome to Dinosaur Provincial Park!
We arrived in the late afternoon at this UNESCO World Heritage Site which protects some of the most significant dinosaur fields on earth. It contains 31 sq. miles of badlands and prairie along the Red Deer River. It contains the remains of 39 species of dinosaurs from 75 million years ago as well as crocodile, fish, flying reptile, small mammal and turtle fossils. There is a Visitor Center and Royal Tyrrell Museum Field Station. They contain dinosaur skeletons, a theater, and interpretive displays depicting the park's geological and paleontological resources.
Five minutes to clean off the bug infested windshield!
We headed to the campground and threw up the tent at a relatively quiet site. This is Labor Day Weekend in Canada so it's a three day weekend and the campground is loaded with campers and RVs. Not so many tents though so that helped with our selection! Then off to see what we could in the daylight left...
There were several fossil houses where you could see the
fossils actually as they found them in the ground.
Sample of a dig site with tools and descriptions.
By the Center there was a researcher who was waiting for friends to return from a site so offered to take us up the hill. Going up is easier than coming down! Those little stones and sand like to send you flying as they slide under your feed. Down low worked much better. The view was great though.
Unbelievable hoodoos!
After some wandering we headed back to the campsite to get things organized before it gets dark...will be very dark here tonight! Had a quick dinner and then headed back up to the entrance to check out the sunset.
Very different effect with the long light of evening.
Not to bad! Nice way to end a very interesting day!
Nice view from the campground too!
