Almost 10,000 years of history uncovered at site near Prince Albert

Dave Rondeau made a shocking discovery in the spring of 2023 — and the Saskatchewan researcher says long-hidden secrets are beginning to reveal themselves.

A massive ice break in the North Saskatchewan river carved out the side of a hill near the river west of Prince Albert, exposing a face or profile of that hill containing thousands of years of history.

“For that cut-back to reveal itself and give up its secrets, that’s an absolute gift,” said Rondeau, a Métis community-based researcher from Crutwell, Sask

And that gift needs to be shared so everyone can benefit from it.”

The layers in the hill reveal when the last Ice Age ended, followed by plant growth and evidence of human settlement, including flakes of stones left over from stone tool making, large campfires or ceremonial fires and animal remains.

A bone sample sent away for radiocarbon dating came back as 9,200 years old. By comparison, Wanuskewin Heritage Park dates back around 6,700 years.

It’s extremely old for our area because it’s understood that this area was underwater or still under ice around that time,” Rondeau said. “So, it was impossibly old for our area. But you can’t really go by one sample.”

Rondeau said other experts have said the site could possibly be the oldest settlement in the region.

Sites with this level of preservation are rare, said Andrea Freeman, an associate professor and geography department head at the University of Calgary.

“We know if people are using this site at that time, they’re coming in pretty quickly after the glaciers have left, and the landscape is changing quite dramatically,” she said. “So, for me, it’s been the black swan I’ve been looking for, for the last 15 to 20 years.