The largest concentration of First Nation petroglyphs and pictographs on the great plains of North America is to be found here. The artwork was created over time by the Blackfoot people, who occupied a large area of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Montana.
encompasses a total of 6,644.79 Acres (2,689.05 Ha).
Tours were available from May 17 to Oct 13 in 2013 when last we visited. In 2020 the park is open, but public facilities, such as toilet facilities and day-use kitchens are closed due to Covid-19 concerns.
The glyphs and the park surrounding them were designated an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource on February 27th, 1981.
Writing-on-Stone, Glyphs
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Writing-on-Stone Archaeological Area lies within Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, on the north and south sides of the Milk River, 42 km southeast of the Town of Milk River. Contained within an area of approximately 156 hectares, it consists of a complex of at least 38 known prehistoric and protohistoric sites, including artifact scatters, campsites, a killsite and numerous rock art sites. In addition, the remains of a late nineteenth-century North West Mounted Police post are also located within the designated area.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of the Writing-on-Stone Archaeological Area lies in its identity as one of the largest concentrations of prehistoric and historic period Native American pictographs and petroglyphs in North America. Additional heritage value is expressed in the area's association with the North Mounted Police and its relationship to the establishment of Canadian sovereignty and settlement in the west.
The rock art within the Writing-On-Stone Archaeological Area has been created through incising, scratching, abrading, pecking (petroglyphs) and painting, drawing or chalking (pictographs) on the vertical faces of the sandstone cliffs flanking the Milk River valley. The artwork ranges from individual images to large composite pictures with numerous images. The panels include depictions of humans with V-necks, square shoulders or pointed shoulders, humans bearing round shields, humans with weaponry (bows and arrows, spears, guns) or weaponry depicted on its own, animals such as horses, birds, bison and other game animals, triangular images interpreted as tipis and a variety of geometric shapes, including circles, semi-circles, dots and lines. Composite panels depict hunting and camp life, as well as scenes of battle. Ancient cultural materials found in areas of the rock art have included arrow points (stone and metal) as well as stone flakes and bone fragments. Prehistoric campsites also occur in the area and are often represented by the remains of campfires (hearths) and scatters of bone and stone debris.
Stories from local Aboriginal people attest to the past and continued importance of the location. Given the variety and density of the pictographs and petroglyphs, they have been subject to a number of scholarly studies. Some researchers have indicated that the artwork can be classified into two main types: the 'ceremonial' (including the human figures, animals and weaponry) and the 'biographical' (the composite scenes). Based on differences in between the images of the two types, it has been suggested that different people living on the Plains may have been responsible for the different styles, with the 'ceremonial' images placed in the canyon between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1700 and the 'biographical' panels created between A.D. 1700 and A.D. 1890. Archaeological excavation of artifacts and campsites within the regions suggest that the area has been occupied for at least 3,000 years.
In addition to the rock art, the Writing-On-Stone Archaeological Area is also important for the presence of an early North West Mounted Police post in Police Coulee, on the south side of the Milk River. The site covers portions of three floodplain terraces of the Milk River floodplain and in 1887 was established as a seasonal tent camp for 'D' Division. In 1888, however, they were replaced by a permanent detachment of 'K' Division, whose job it was to patrol the Canada-U.S. border 10km to the south, control the illicit whiskey trade, mediate conflicts between the ranchers and the local Aboriginal people, and to assist with fire suppression.
The post is considered to be typical of the remote outposts occupied by the North West Mounted Police. In 1889, construction of a kitchen, stable and blacksmith shop were completed, resulting in a series of log buildings with mud chinking and shingled roofs. By 1890, the barracks and a main office were finished, as well as a coal shed, a stone house and a small stone fence. Numerous structural problems with the buildings, however, made life uncomfortable and necessitated continuous renovation. In 1908, one of the worst floods remembered in the area caused considerable damage and removed a number of the buildings. Despite this, the post continued to rebuild and by 1910, with the influx of settlers to the area, it became a social centre in the region. It was closed in 1918, however, when a number of force members enlisted to fight in World War I. Reconstruction of some of the buildings was completed for the purposes of interpretation in 1974.
Archaeological investigation of the North West Mounted Police post was undertaken between 1973 and 1974 to assess the structural evidence and provide information for reconstruction. The assessments relocated 11 buildings and a number of miscellaneous features, including a pole horse shelter and four dugout storage facilities. Archaeological excavation was conducted on a portion of the barracks and a stable. Artifacts recovered provide a detailed picture of the daily life at the post, representing domestic, hardware and personal items. In addition to the historic period materials, early prehistoric artifacts were found underlying the historic materials, and included campfires (hearths), pottery, stone flakes and tools, as well as bone fragments and a piece of a clamshell.
From the Alberta Register of Historic Places