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travel / great places / explorer / jf05
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Discover 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 artifacts 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.
Traders and explorers from the Hudson's Bay Company traders
visited the hills as early as 1754 in a failed attempt to convince
Blackfoot tribes to participate in the fur trade. In the early
1850s, an American exploration expedition passed through the
hills trying to forge better relations with local tribes. In
1859, explorer John Palliser led an expedition from Edmonton
to the hills, calling them "a perfect oasis in the desert."
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 area 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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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. These hivernants would often return to the same camp year after year. It is thought that Métis came to the hills as early as 1868, and by 1879 at least five Métis
settlements existed there.
Excavation of the Kajewski cabin site, discovered in 1966,
revealed the remains of a Métis settlement with 19 log cabins, dating
back to 1885. The site was a treasure trove of artifacts from
musket balls to bison bones - all related to hunting and trading.
With the arrival of the railway to Medicine Hat in 1883, ranchers
and entrepreneurs displaced the few remaining Métis from the
Cypress Hills. Entrepreneurs soon established a coalmine and
sawmills providing lumber for settlers who were arriving in
the area.
The natural fauna of the hills beckoned to Briton Lawrence
B. Potter. From 1901, Potter lived and ranched outside of
present-day Eastend, Sask. and meticulously recorded sightings
and information about birds of the area until 1943.
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 snowshoeing
in the winter.
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