The View From Out Here

By Teresa Tremblay on November 27, 2017

We took this photo in the fall of 2016 while completing fieldwork for Sundre Forest Products’. It’s of the Clearwater River valley as seen from a site we found that year. The site was easily identified because artifacts were eroding out of the steep valley wall and the ATV trails that cross the landscape.

From here, one would be able to keep an eye on traffic (human, moose, deer, etc.) through the valley (if the vegetation allowed it, that is). This is probably one of the reasons it was used as a campsite in the past, and still is to this day – we found a couple of modern fire pits at the ancient site.

Views are becoming an increasingly important and interesting part of predicting site locations and are becoming easier to consider. We have GIS to thank for that. Here former Tree Time archaeologist, Tim Allan, has an update on his MA research that provides an example of what a view-shed analysis can look like.

In the case of the Clearwater River site and the Hummingbird Creek site Tim discusses, both appear to be located to command the view – look how similar the landscapes are.

Hummingbird site location on left (from Tim’s blog post), Clearwater River site on right.

As more view-shed analyses are undertaken in Alberta, we may see patterns emerge that indicate that people were choosing to place their structures or settlements in a location that ensured they could see certain landmarks (like kiva towers), be seen from certain landmarks (like the possible Whitby signal station), or to be protected from views altogether (like low-elevation defensive sites in the islands of Fiji).

These analyses of the views to, from, and between contemporaneous sites can provide us with some clues as to social interactions and climates in the past.

Related Posts

 

By Fallon Hardie

February 12, 2025

Culturally Modified Trees of the Interior, British Columbia

A Foreword For the Archaeologists who’ve found themselves interested in the niches of Ecology and Landscape-Use-Dynamics, we tend to recognize the landscape as a dynamic whole; a manuscript of activities, knowledge, and ideologies that human societies have crafted and applied to the environments in which they live. However, Professional Consulting Archaeologists in Cultural Resource Management

Keep Reading

By Maegan Huber

Alberta's Boreal Sand Hills

January 31, 2025

Alberta’s Boreal Sand Hills

Alberta’s Boreal Sand Hills Some people may be surprised to learn that Alberta is home to a series of large sand hill complexes made up of large forested dune features. Typically, when we think of sand dunes we tend to picture hot and dry regions with minimal vegetation, often situated near oceans. However, Alberta’s boreal

Keep Reading

By Corey Cookson

October 17, 2023

International Archaeology Day

What is it? International Archaeology Day is a celebration of Archaeology and it’s contributions to society! International Archaeology Day annually falls on the third Saturday of October (October 21st), and was first celebrated in 2011. The day was originally designed on a national level to help promote public participation and awareness of the important contributions

Keep Reading