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travel / great places / canadian snapshots / cypress hills
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Cypress Hills
History
Human history in the Cypress Hills area dates back more than 7000 years. Archeological digs on the north slope of Cypress Hills
have found much evidence of a human presence in the area, including stone and bone tools and butchered and charred bone scraps.
The area included artefacts of the Besant, Pelican Lake, Oxbow and Bitterroot cultures.
In more recent history, five native groups made frequent use of the hills before 1870 —the Cree, Assiniboine,
Gros Venture, Blood and some Peigan. They would follow bison and elk as they retreated to the woods during winter months,
and often found themselves wintering in Cypress Hills. It was an excellent location in which to spend the winter because the
varied ecosystems could supply wood, water, and pasture for their horses, shelter and game.
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| Fort Walsh, then and now. |
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In the 1870s, a number of fur trading posts were established along Battle Creek,
which runs through Cypress Hills. In 1873, a bloody battle known as the Cypress Hills Massacre took place when American wolfers
who were stopped at one of the posts lost some horses. They believed the horses had been stolen by a group of Assiniboine camped nearby,
and after much drinking set out to take revenge. In the ensuing battle many Assiniboine and one white man were killed. The massacre
convinced Sir John A. McDonald to pass a bill establishing a force known as the North West Mounted Police — a force that would later
become the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or the Mounties. Fort Walsh was established near the trading posts and served the North West
Mounted Police until 1883. It is now a historic site, and one of the many places to visit on a trip to Cypress Hills.
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An actor in period costume demonstrates how it was in the old days. |
The Métis, descendants
of native peoples and French Canadian fur traders, also made great use of
Cypress Hills.
While they would follow the bison herd during the warm summer months, in
the winter months they would settle in camps all over the Cypress Hills,
setting up villages with log cabins and churches. They would often return
to the same camp year after year.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s entrepreneurs established sawmills and a coal mine, with the sawmill
providing lumber for settlers who were arriving in the area.
Today, the area is known for its recreational uses and tourism. Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, established in 1989, merged the
adjoining provincial parks in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Fort Walsh National Historic Site is another partner in the park. It is a place
known for great camping, boating, hiking, cycling and horse back riding, as well as skiing and snow-shoeing in the winter.
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