Buffalo rubbing stone, Calgary.

The plack on the large stone I am sitting on tells the story.

"This large glacially deposited rock was used by the buffalo as a rubbing stone which produced a hide polish around the sides of the rock. Many of the rubbing stones along the foothills are part of the Foothills Erratic Train deposited 20,000 years ago. Geologists speculate this rock originated from the face of Mt. Edith Cavell located in Jasper National Park."

These erratics became part of Native peoples' cultural landscape and were commemorated in story, legend, and rock art. Valley Ridge (a suburb on the western edge of Calgary along Highway 1) was one of the most significant wintering and hunting areas for the Blackfoot peoples in this area of the Bow Valley."

I photographed this in 2009 while visiting my brother and his family. I would take my camera and walk along whatever path my feet would find; eventually, I ended up here. The rock itself interested me as it is a glacial erratic. The fact it traveled some 400 km from its place of origin to where it was finally deposited is amazing. Its history from that time on speaks to how we have disturbed the planet.

You didn't have to travel that far back in time to discover a broad, open plain filled with hundreds of thousands of buffalo and the aboriginal peoples who lived nearby that counted on them for much of their needs. The rock was used by the large animals to scratch their itchy hides; centuries of rubbing went on and caused a fair degree of weathering of the sedimentary rock's side. Going back further you can imagine some of the post-glacial late Pliocene creatures that may have ventured past the great stone. Mammoths, musk-ox, mastadons, and numerous other now-extinct mammals would have seen the exact same erratic. It is an amazing thing to think about.

It is also sad in a way, as we have had a hand in altering the progression of nature. Now, the only mammals that bear witness to the magnificent feature are dogs, cats, and the occasional coyote. And of course, us. If the stone could speak, I wonder what it would say. Possibly, "Where did all my friends go?"

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen

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