Bison bones give glimpse of St. Albert's distant past

Bison bones thought to be a few thousand years old have been found in St. Albert over the past two years and provide a glimpse into the city's past. 

“St. Albert is fortunate to be rich in archaeological and paleontological resources, namely in areas close to the river,” said city spokesperson Nicole Lynch. 

“Historically, Indigenous and Métis peoples made hunting camps along the river, and we have found artifacts such as arrowheads, campfire remnants, bison bones and other evidence of human use.”

Indeed, St. Albert's Musée Héritage Museum has documented the Cree were hunting bison near the Sturgeon River and Big Lake as many as 5,000 years ago.

“The river valleys of this region have provided food, resources and transportation routes for roughly 5,000 years,” the Museum's website states. “Called nii-koo-oo-pum (Red Willow River) by the Cree people, the Sturgeon River and Big Lake attracted birds and animals for hunting and provided fish and abundant plant life.”

“Early archaeological sites show that next to the river and lake, the first peoples had campsites, bison kill sites and workshops where they manufactured stone tools.”

“The natural state of the valley remained largely undisturbed until the foundation of the Mission in 1861.” 

One of the bones found earlier this year was discovered during a provincially required archaeological dig prior to work on the third and final phase of the Ray Gibbon Drive twinning project, city environmental coordinator Melissa Logan told the Gazette.

Logan said what the bone is, where it is now, and the corresponding archaeological reports, are all confidential and won't be publicized, as required under the provincial Historic Resources Act.

The second bone, a partial femur (thigh), was found last year at a construction site in the downtown area, Logan said. The bone is now a part of the Royal Alberta Museum's (RAM) Quaternary, or Ice Age, fossil collection.

“There's no idea where that bone originated from,” Logan said. “It could have been brought to the site, it could have been from the area, we have no idea where it came from.”

Museum spokesperson Julie Helwig said in an email, “RAM frequently works with industry partners to collect and preserve bones and fossils uncovered on job sites.”

“When the workers found the bone, they originally contacted the Tyrrell Museum to see what it was and how to proceed,” she said. “After responding to their original query, the Tyrrell forwarded everything to us, as RAM is the official repository for Quaternary fossils found in Alberta as a result of industry and infrastructure development.”

“This is one more piece of the puzzle to better understand the history of bison in Alberta and the environments in which they lived.”

The partial femur isn't on display at the museum, Helwig said, but it is being used for ongoing research and reference.

Another example of the area's rich history is a non-publicized archaeological find in Oakmont last summer, where city park planning specialist Benjamin Jonah said remnants of a Métis hunting camp were found near the Sturgeon River.

Like the bison bone found near Ray Gibbon Drive, Jonah could not say exactly what kind of artifacts were found and how old they could be, how many items were found, and where the artifacts are now.

Risk of looting

When asked for further details about recent archaeological finds in St. Albert, Jonah, Logan, and Lynch all cited confidentiality requirements in Alberta's Historic Resources Act.

“When the city approaches construction projects, we are required by the province of Alberta to undergo a historic resources clearance,” Lynch said. “Sometimes we are cleared for construction with no further action required, and other times we are required to hire specialized firms to come and do archaeological digs.”

“The reports generated by these studies are kept confidential as per the requirements of the ministry of arts, culture and status of women.”

Arts, Culture and Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir declined the Gazette's interview request. Her press secretary Garrett Koehler said in an email confidentiality is required to protect the sites from would-be looters and amateur archaeologists.

“Confidentiality is to protect the archaeological sights from looting and potential damage from members of the public,” he said. “Alberta operates a robust regulatory approval system that screens a wide range of industry, commercial and infrastructure sector activities,” he said. 

He pointed to the Archaeological Survey of Alberta's posts on the provincial government's RETROActive blog as one tool the government uses to “inform the public about Alberta’s archaeological resource management efforts.”

The most recent Archaeological Survey of Alberta post on the blog was published in March, and is limited to graphs explaining the number and type of archaeological sites recorded in 2021. 

Archie Arcand, a Métis elder and the current president of the St. Albert-Sturgeon County Métis Local #1904, declined to comment.