Historical Archaeology in Western Canadian Contexts: New and Emerging

Historical Archaeology in Western Canadian Contexts: New and Emerging Perspectives

Session Hosting Format:

in-person session

Organizer(s):

Solène Mallet Gauthier, University of Alberta
Sara Lefurgey, University of Alberta

Contact Email:

Session Description (300 word max):

Although historical archaeology has been at the center of Canadian archaeology since its early beginnings, some parts of the country and topics, such as settler history, have been explored more than others. We turn here to Western Canada, where researchers have not only been increasingly thinking about historical archaeology, but also going beyond traditional questions, methods, and topics. Building on our colleagues’ previous 2024 Saskatoon CAA conference session, which centred on historic period archaeology in Saskatchewan, this session aims to showcase new projects, themes, and approaches exploring historical archaeology in Western Canada more broadly. We invite papers from professionals, academics, and students related to the post-contact period in the western provinces, especially those focused on new methodologies, technologies, the critical reexamination of previous collections or research projects, and/or fresh perspectives on minority and marginalized groups.

Présentations

FUR-TRADE SITES AND MAPS

Format de présentation : In-Person

Auteur-e(s) :

Barbara BELYEA - University of Calgary

In 1774 the Hudson’s Bay Company built Cumberland House to compete with increased Montreal trade west of Lake Winnipeg. By then the Montreal men were headed north to Lake Athabasca. Cumberland House masters took note of rivals passing their door for fifteen years before Philip Turnor and Peter Fidler surveyed the northern route in 1790-92. Ten more years elapsed before Fidler built Nottingham House.

These events cover the decades before two companies faced each other in the fierce competition described in fur-trade histories. How did the trade “expand” during this time? Archaeological reports use dots to signify an accumulation of sites. What these maps don’t show is the pattern of post construction and short-lived occupation. Nor do they show the traders’ changing image of the territories they colonized.

My paper looks at the uneven pattern of fur-trade progress to Lake Athabasca. Maps drawn in the 1770s are compared with the Turnor-Fidler survey of 1790-92. A new “dot” map based on the survey locates the posts that Turnor and Fidler observed in passing their doors. Since house plans are small maps, the paper also looks at Fidler’s plan for a new Nottingham House.

Ghost Lines: Unpublished Field Maps from the Palliser Expedition

Format de présentation : In-Person

Auteur-e(s) :

Christian Cooper

In 1858, James Hector---a 23-year-old physician and geologist attached to the British North American Exploring Expedition---traversed the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains on a route that would nearly kill him and eventually lend its name to Kicking Horse Pass. Over the course of the Palliser Expedition (1857--1860), Hector filled hundreds of notebook pages with compass bearings, geological observations, and hand-drawn sketch maps---notebooks he physically carried with him over the pass and through the mountains. More than 600 of these manuscript pages, including the map shown above, have now been digitized and transcribed for the first time, making the full detail of his field record available to researchers after more than 160 years. This paper presents the previously unpublished maps recovered through that transcription, including the sketch shown above depicting the expedition's crossing of the Ghost River west of present-day Cochrane. From there, Hector's notebooks trace a route directly through what is now Canmore, Alberta---the site of this conference---and onward into the front ranges toward Kicking Horse Pass. By geo-referencing Hector's original drawings against modern topography, the author reconstructs these day-by-day travel routes with new precision. When plotted, the georeferenced data raise significant questions about the accepted location of the Kicking Horse Pass incident---and its corresponding national monument in Yoho National Park, which the manuscript evidence suggests is misplaced by approximately 37 kilometres.

More than a Fort: Métis Archaeology at pehonanik (FfNp-1)

Format de présentation : In-Person

Auteur-e(s) :

Sarah Pocha-Tait - University of Saskatchewan

Fort Carlton was a fur trade post which operated from 1810-1885. The fort was located approximately 100km north of Saskatoon along the North Saskatchewan River in an area known by its Cree name pehonanik, meaning “the waiting place.” From 2021-2023 the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society field school found over 50,000 belongings and faunal remains. My research focuses on the belongings recovered from these excavations and how Métis occupation can be seen at the fort. In addition to the belongings, I used journals, Hudson’s Bay Company records, and my own family history to prove that Fort Carlton is a Métis site and much more than just a fort.

Mountie Memories of Metis: Using NWMP memoirs to identify and interpret Metis archaeological sites

Format de présentation : In-Person

Auteur-e(s) :

Dawn Wambold - Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology, University of Alberta

When the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) arrived in the region now known as Alberta in 1874, they employed several Métis individuals as guides, scouts, and interpreters. This close working relationship resulted in NWMP journals and other official records offering a rare and valuable perspective on Métis life; one that differs significantly from earlier accounts written primarily by missionaries and fur traders. While these sources must be critically examined for their biases and limitations, they nonetheless provide valuable insights into Métis experiences during a period of extreme change in the late 19th century.

In this presentation, I will use two well-documented Métis archaeological sites, Buffalo Lake and the Kajewski Cabins, as case studies to demonstrate how NWMP journals and memoirs have contributed to the interpretation and understanding of these locations. I will also explore how I have drawn on these same historical sources to help identify previously unrecognized archaeological sites associated with the Métis. By integrating documentary evidence with archaeological investigation, this research highlights the potential of NWMP records to enrich our understanding of Métis history and material culture during the 1870s

Reimaging Historical Archaeology in Western Canada

Format de présentation : In-Person

Auteur-e(s) :

Kisha Supernant - University of Alberta

Discussant.

Stone Stories of the Métis: Stone Tool Making and Use as a Relational Practice at Overwintering Settlements

Format de présentation : In-Person

Auteur-e(s) :

Cody Hemmingsen - University of Alberta

Hivernant Métis were semi-nomadic bison hunters who overwintered in temporary and semi-permanent settlements across the Canadian plains throughout the nineteenth century. Archaeological projects with at least partial excavation have occurred at six of these settlements, with stone tools and related production waste recovered at each site. To date, no systematic study has examined the organization, production strategies, or use of these technologies within Métis traditions. Early investigations documented these materials with limited analysis, emphasizing acculturation and hybridity while overlooking Indigenous ontologies; however, as a post-Contact Indigenous culture that emerged when metal tools were widely available and utilized, the presence of stone tool technologies represents a unique and underexplored phenomenon. Grounded in a framework that prioritizes relationality, this research undertakes a comparative analysis of the stone tool assemblages from two hivernant settlements. Through the examination of tool morphology, production methods, and activity patterns, it evaluates whether consistent and potentially diagnostic assemblage characteristics are present. This study aims to determine whether a distinct hivernant stone tool tradition emerged as an adaptive, culturally embedded response to shifting socio-economic and political conditions. In doing so, it challenges narratives of Métis alignment with European idealism, arguing instead for cultural innovation within relational knowledge systems.

The Old Bezanson Townsite: Historical Archaeology as an Entry Point to Heritage Education and Appreciation

Format de présentation : In-Person

Auteur-e(s) :

Shawn Morton - Northwestern Polytechnic
Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown - Athabasca University
Reily Steidel - University of Alberta

At the Old Bezanson Townsite (OBT), in the Peace Country of Treaty 8 Alberta, history feels remarkably close. Although abandoned just over a century ago, the original townsite continues to thrive in the memories shared by local residents and history buffs, and as a gathering place for the community. Since 2021, it has also served as the focal point for an ongoing, public-oriented archaeological research project. In this paper, we explore the unique opportunities that a site like the OBT offers for public engagement in archaeology and heritage activities, as well as its value as a training ground for future archaeologists. We also provide an overview of our first three seasons of survey and excavation at the site.

Underwater Archaeology in Esquimalt Harbour, BC: Supporting 15 Years of Seabed Remediation

Format de présentation : In-Person

Auteur-e(s) :

Charles Moore - WSP Canada

Extensive seabed remediation work undertaken by DND and PSPC has provided an opportunity for some exciting archaeological discoveries in Esquimalt Harbour, BC. Archaeologists with WSP (formerly Golder Associates) have provided heritage support for this on-going work since the initial heritage resource overview assessments. Field work supported by members of the Esquimalt Nation and Songhees Nation in several locations around the harbour has included underwater testing for submerged precontact sites, shipwreck documentation, oversight of dredgeate screening for archaeological materials, and a post-impact assessment. Analysis of several artifact collections with both historical and precontact artifacts recovered from underwater has also been conducted. The archaeological screening of the dredgeate has provided a rare opportunity for complete examination of sediments removed from specific areas. This insight has led to a reconsideration of artifact dispersal rates due to natural wave and wash action within the historical harbour, as well as for submerged sites that have been subject to inundation. This understanding has further allowed for some revisiting of predictive models for submerged precontact archaeological sites and testing methodologies. We have also had the opportunity to review the relationship between the historical record of shipwrecking events and the actual presence of wrecks in the seabed.