Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump?

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump National Historical Site. When you read that on a map you just have to check it out, I could not even begin to imagine what it was.

By the way it is also a World Heritage Site.

Well here is the explanation. Before the white man ever came to North America there were 100’s of thousands of Buffalo/Bison roaming the great plains, the Native American’s who also lived on the plains depended on the Bison for their survival, Thanks to their excellent understanding of topography and Bison behaviour, groups of native hunters killed bison by driving them over a precipice, Remember the Native American had no guns and no horses, these hunts required a lot of organization and skill to lure the Bison from their grazing and into special lanes and finally over the cliff. There is evidence that these Buffalo Jumps were practiced by native people on the Great Plains for over 6000 years. There were a number of these jumps depending where the Buffalo were grassing, the Indians would use the nearest and have their camp near by so that the animals could be dealt with straight away.

What the native hunters, and every one at the hunt camp, did was to make a kind of ”road way” very wide at first, then running narrower until just animal size at the cliff edge, to do this they staked each side of the “road” with rocks and small trees or bushes every few feet, Buffalo apparently have very poor eyesight and when they stampede the whole herd will follow 1 female, she is the only one who looks where she is going (not very well by all accounts) the braves then put other animal skins over their bodies also making them selves smell pretty bad with animal fats. One brave with the skin of a wolf or bear will torment the herd until a female thinks her calf is in danger, sometimes the calf will run off first then the stampede starts. The other braves stand at the stakes covered in their animal skins shouting and waving a small branch from a tree, the stampede hurtles down the “road” when the leader comes to the edge of the cliff she cannot stop because of the herd behind her, she goes over with everyone else following. This hunt was in the Autumn/Fall when the Buffalo’s coat was thick and long.

Legend has it that a young brave wanted to watch the buffalo tumble past, standing in the shelter of a ledge as if behind a waterfall, he watched the beasts fall. The hunt was unusually good that day and as the Buffalo bodies piled up the brave became trapped between cliff and the animals. When the people came to do the butchering, they found him with his skull crushed by the weight of the buffalo carcasses! Hence the name.

The museum at the site is excellen,t telling the whole story of the Buffalo and the Plains Indian. The whole of the buffalo was used to feed, clothe, and make the Tipi, their tools and utensils; even games were made - everything they needed to live their life! How this whole animal was used is quite ingenious. All of the bones were not used over for 6000 years, the white man has since mined these bones for use in fertilizer and explosives during WW2 (I think it was 2 not 1) But now of course all of these sites are protected areas.

A jolly good and interesting visit, I had Buffalo Burger for lunch but wasn’t keen!

After lunch I went to the historical town of Fort Macleod (I love historical towns)

This town is 1^st class having a self guided walking tour taking in some excellent preserved buildings. I had a leaflet with an explanation of each building, jolly good. There is also a fort to view, which turned out to be even more interesting then the town. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are one of Canada’s most recognized symbols. The Mounties were created in 1873 as a police force to establish order in the west! The North West Mounted Police were formed May 23^rd 1873. 1 year later they began their trek west and arrived at Fort Whoop-up 3 months later, they built their first fort on an island on the Oldman River in 1884 a new and larger fort was built and named after the man who led them Colonel James F Macleod, this post served at divisional headquarters until 1920’s

The N.W.M.P were formed and sent west not only to keep the Indian – settler problem but also to stop Americans, who were in the area, selling home made whisky to the Indians, making the whole situation worse. Apparently the whisky sellers were gone by the time the N.W.M.P arrived.

We were told when in the North West Territories that the “Mountie always got his man” because there was only one very poor road out of anywhere and if the criminal went overland they either froze to death or were killed by Grizzly Bears.

Fort Macleod was totally self contained and the town grew up around it, there was never much trouble with Indians.

The visit was very interesting with pictures of Queen Victoria everywhere, there was also a display of the Mounties on parade and a riding display, I believe this was from the local riding school it was definitely not the real thing! They did however put on a good show.

Great day,

I then went to a campsite in Cardston I stayed 2 nights doing the cleaning, internet and used my Canadian phone card up ring home to my girls. Tomorrow I will be back in the USA………………that is if they let me in!

30^th and 31^st AUGUST 2008

The next two days are spent in Waterton Lakes Canada and Glacier National Park USA. The two parks are joined with the border running through. The two national parks were named an International Peace Park by the USA and Canada in 1932 and the whole thing was designated a World Heritage Site in 1995, they are also Biosphere Reserves. I have to tell you they are stunning, absolutely beautiful………

Waterton Lakes is so pretty and peaceful, with the lakes surrounded by mountains; I had a couple of nice walks through the forest to the lake but am very nervous of bears, I only went where there were other people.

I had a great lunch in a very western Indian restaurant the burger was the best I have had so far! This is Blackfoot Indian Country with the reservation running along side Glacier Park.

Dramatically beautiful Glacier Park is Montana most treasured attraction; Both Parks have rugged and desolated alpine terrain full of lush valleys, clear crystal lakes, Glacier has amazing waterfalls. The wildlife roams across both parks they have no boarders. I saw the largest and closest Grizzly to date!!!

At Saint Mary’s visitor centre just outside the front door (on a pole provided by the rangers) there is a nesting Osprey with 2 babies getting ready to fly, they kept bobbing up and flapping their wings Mum or Dad fetched food while I was watching! Awesome !

I have also booked an interpretive trip on a 1936 Red bus for tomorrow which should be fun!

The bus is great. I get there very early and manage to get the front seat, the weather has changed and it’s freezing with snow forecaste, I wish I had another layer of clothes on, also some warmer socks!

The bus has been refurbished by Ford to its original classic design, with a few modern things added like flashing yellow indicators and a demister for the windscreen/shield, the doors are very heavy, the inside is made of wood - we are asked not to bang them because the old style catches break and sometimes the glass will break!! The whole of the roof folds back making the bus an open top! The seats are like old double decker buses, 4 or 5 across on the one seat, some people cry off because of the weather so the bus is not full.

The trip its self was superb, at the first stop I brought a pair of warmer socks. The guide was excellent, talking about the bus and the park. It rained most of the morning but we were able to get out and the views were good. Because of the canvas roof there was quite a wind coming through out! In fact across the windscreen/shield there was a gale!! This prevented the windows from steaming up, Oh by the way everyone had a blanket. Stopped at the oldest hotel by Lake McDonald for lunch. The first tourists came to this park by train, and then a horse and cart took them to the lake, they then took a boat arriving at the hotel from the lake, which of course was the front of the hotel, but now that guests arrive by road the hotel is back to front! But still beautiful with a huge log fire and cosy chairs. Lunch was very good, I had liver but declined the sweet when I saw the size of the people sat next to me, They offered me a spoon! The weather has also improved. We were able to have the top rolled back, but as we climb higher the rain comes back but we all say its ok but then the snow comes and we cannot stop to put the roof back as the road is too narrow and twisty, we are at 8000+ft but no one seems to really mind. We have seen lots of Big Horned Sheep. Learnt more about Lodge Pole Pine, after a fire they grow the fastest, straight to the sun, they do not like shade however their quick growth allows the slower growing trees like Cedar and Douglas Fir to take hold, the slower trees will over take the Lodge Pine spreading their branches putting the Lodge Pine in the shade, they then dye but their cone can live on the forest floor for over a hundred years waiting for that forest fire which gives them another turn to rule the forest!!.......................................