The jack parts people are closed for the weekend so off we went sightseeing. We drove south on Hwy 2 for 90 minutes to Fort MacLeod. We passed the Okotoks Erratic Glacier site where a 16.5 ton quartzite rock stands 9 meters tall. Okatok is Blackfoot for rock.
We spent about 3 hours at the UNESCO Heritage Site of Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, near Fort MacLeod. This puts it on a standing, the same as Egyptian Pyramids or England's Stonehenge. It is a 5 storey building built right into the cliff with 3 films, including one of the actual buffalo hunt. It is incredibly well done with numerous exhibits, displays and one of the most interesting places I've ever seen. You can walk along the path to the Drive Lanes where the buffalo were stampeded over the cliff. First cliff we saw today after driving for 2 hours over gently rolling grassland, as far as the eye can see, right back to the Rockies. The temporary village is sited below where the buffalo are processed to provide food, clothing, tools and shelter for the Indians. This occurred for 6000 years until horses, then the white man and guns changed history. The entire history is very well portrayed, from the elders 'calling' the buffalo to the hunt, the painted buffalo skull, and the numerous skulls shown beside the buffalo skins sold by the white men in the East which led to the demise of the bison. We had our buffalo burgers here and were fine. We thoroughly recommend seeing this is you ever can. You can see part at www.head-smashed-in.com
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