POSTED AT 2:31 PM EDT Thursday, September 26

8,000-year-old settlement found in Saskatchewan

By OLIVER MOORE
Globe and Mail Update

The well-preserved remains of extinct bison species and the signs of an 8,000-year-old human settlement have been discovered southeast of Prince Albert, Sask., archeologists said Thursday.

The find has stopped in its tracks plans to develop a stretch of road at the spot, though a government release from Regina insists that the site is still the "future location of the new St. Louis Bridge."

Before anything can be built there, however, the site has to be thoroughly excavated, a process that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Initial exploration is being paid for by the Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation Ministry — at a cost of $120,000 — and will run until early next month. New finds are expected daily during this initial phase.

The bones and artifacts were found in a river valley, preserved in oxygen-deprived layers of soil that date to between 5,000 and 8,000 years old.

Bones from at least 12 bison have been discovered, including three skulls complete with horns. At least two of the skulls were from extinct bison species that were much larger than modern variations. One of the skulls — nicknamed Wade — comes complete with a horn measuring 114 centimetres.

Other finds include an articulated bison skull (Nathan) with vertebrae attached, the remains of three wolves, one coyote and the tooth of a bear. The wolves remains suggest the animals were also considerably larger than those seen today.

Interesting as the animal finds are, archeologists say that the remnants of human settlement are as intriguing. The site appears to have served in part as a bison butchery, where generations of of Paleo-Indians slaughtered the animals. Evidence from the earlier periods indicates cruder butchering methods, but tactics improved as time went on.

The Paleo-Indian period in Canada began approximately 12,000 years ago, according to anthropologists at the University of Manitoba. Its development is generally attributed to the Aboriginal discoverers of North America, who migrated over the Bering land bridge that once connected Alaska and Siberia.
Routine testing in June of 2002 to determine the possible heritage impact of a new road bridge turned up signs of a massive archeological deposit. Preliminary digging since then has turned up some 4,000 artifacts and well-preserved bones.

Artifacts recovered include campfire stones, scraping tools, stone knives, spear points, engraving tools and what is being described as a "relatively untouched" campfire or workshop area.

The find, called perhaps the most significant in Canada, is more than 2,000 years older than the well-developed tourist destination farther south at Wanuskewin Heritage Park.

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