Upcoming events:
Glenbow Townsite Tour July 29th: Explore Glenbow Village with Shari Peyerl of the Archeological Society of Alberta, Calgary Centre. Access is allowed to areas protected under Ministerial Closure. Stops at the Village, Glenbow School, Workers’ Quarters and General Store sites highlight the latest discoveries. Learn about excavations and how archaeological records combined with oral and written history renew a landscape bringing a vanished community’s stories back to life. Travel to the townsite via golf carts. There will be some walking through grasses over uneven terrain.
PRE-REGISTER at http://www.grpf.ca/events and click on the link for the date, then follow the instructions, OR call 403-851-9053.
FEE: $25 per person for transportation to site. Under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Each person who wants to attend MUST PRE-REGISTER
Check out our speaker series for a listing of upcoming lectures. Check back soon for updates or sign up to our events mailing list.
Past events:
July 25, 2015: Historic Calgary Week Tour of Paskapoo Slopes
Brian Vivian led an evening walking tour of Paskapoo Slopes, as one of the Historic Calgary Week events. A record number history enthusiasts joined him for a hike on the slopes where they learned about the many uses of the area over time. Discussion of the local history ranged from the formation of the Bow Valley and Glacial Lake Calgary to the importance of the bison kill complex in the valley, with visits to the sites of a prehistoric campsite and a bison kill.
July 25, 2015: Glenbow Historic Calgary Week Tour
A fully-booked (and wait-listed) tour of the Glenbow Townsite and Quarry was part of Historic Calgary Week events. Shari Peyerl led the Saturday morning golf-cart tour to the Village and the Workers’ Quarters, telling stories about the former residents. This historically significant, yet little known, settlement was occupied for only a short time but was home to a variety of interesting characters. A visit to the ASA-Calgary Centre’s excavations was featured, and Shari passed around some of the artifacts found during June’s dig.
July 19, 2015: Bow Valley Park Day
Over 400 people visited the Calgary Centre table at Bow Valley Park Day. Interested public included numerous Calgarians and other residents from the Bow Valley, many new Canadians, and assorted visitors from overseas. All expressed interest in the archaeology and cultural heritage of Alberta. Questions ranged from “What is the oldest site in Alberta?” to “How were buffalo killed and butchered?” and “Where did people live in the winter?”.
July 18, 2015: GRPP (Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park) Park Day
Sunny, warm weather made a perfect day for this family event. Many stopped by to check out our display and find out more about archaeology here in Alberta. The children loved the bison hide and skull, while the grown-ups had lots of questions about the points and the spear-thrower (atlatl). Other highlights of the day included free MacKay’s ice cream in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park’s own flavour (strawberry-rhubarb pie) and a flyover of aerial acrobatics from the nearby Springbank airfield.
June, 2015: Glenbow Town and Quarry Project Volunteer Excavation
Brian Vivian and Shari Peyerl led an excavation program at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park for five sunny days in June. The excavation of an historic structure in the Workers’ Quarters continued this year with help from local volunteers. The stone cobble foundation continues to be uncovered, revealing clues about the family that lived in this little shack in 1910.