Saskatchewan - Alberta

Day 7 - 9

It was a nice rest during an insane heatwave in the prairies temperatures were up to 45 degrees with the humidity. Aunt Kathleen, turned me on to some great research material on geographic and archaeological sites of interest in Saskatchewan and Alberta's Prairies. So I've spent the last few days discovering some new things i never realized existed out here.
One of the best maps I've ever seen is the Archaeological site map produced by the Saskatchewan archaeological society. It explains and points out in a distribution view the thousands of sites all across the prairies. This Territory is incredibly rich with untouched sites, despite the fact that the majority of the sites that once existed have been destroyed by the influx of the first wave of settlers and Agriculteral industry. There are still yet to be many unstudied sites which get discovered as industry develops farther north.

Things such as Tipi Rings; Stones layed around the edge of a tipi to mark the site for the next camp migration. Many of these stones are left undisturbed many have been moved by farmers to lay crops. They are all hard to find because they are hidden by tall grasses.
Buffalo and Human effigy's of stone, Buffalo jumps where herds plummeted to their deaths and more vision quest sites, and medicine wheels.

Medicine wheels are stone structures built by the natives of North America for various spiritual and ritual purposes.
Appearing mostly in Alberta, Canada, medicine wheels were built by laying out stones in a circular pattern that often looked like a wagon wheel lying on its side. The wheels could be large, reaching diameters of 75 feet. Although archeologists are not definite on the purpose of each medicine wheel, it is thought that they probably had ceremonial or astronomical significance.

Medicine wheels are still used today in the Native American spirituality, however most of the meaning behind them is not shared among non-Native peoples.




I visited the Majorville Medicine wheel which is an Hour trip off of back country roads. I would suggest never do this in an astro-van. Use a 4x4 or a high clearance pickup. I nearly cracked my front axle on a rock while trying to navigate the deep ruts. Along the way There are deep into rancher land, there were a number of very good examples of Buffalo Stones.

Buffalo shed there coats in summer and are vulnerable to attack by insects. They rub themselves on whatever is around to counter the itching. these Large stones likely a few tonnes in weight have been polished smooth like glass on some corners from 10,000 years of buffalo rubbing. The stones have been sunken into depressions by the Buffalo running circles around them.

The Medicine wheel itself was on the highest hill around for miles. I was overwhelmed when i first reached the summit. I left a peice of sage as an offering to the site. This site had been started 5000 years ago (that's 1000 years before stonehenge and 500 years before the pyramids of giza). I am not going to say much else about it, It is worth the difficult trip to experience a place like this for yourself.

The night before I had Stayed at Dinosaur Provincial Park, which is a world heritage site and biosphere reserve. A fragile and ancient peice of the badlands where much of the archeological digging has and is still taking place. I will be coming back in this direction to stay in Drumheller.