UCalgary students turn Edworthy Park into archaeological dig site

University of Calgary students are learning out at one of the city's parks, and hope to give Calgarians a glimpse into a past right under their feet.

A partnership between the city and students from the University of Calgary is digging up a piece of the city’s past.

For two weeks, the students have been digging, sifting and sweeping an area of Edworthy Park in the southwest.

Bit by bit, layer by layer, they’re looking to uncover pieces of history.

“Archeological resources are part of a cultural landscape, and they tell a story that most citizens and visitors are unaware of,” said Laureen Bryant, the city’s cultural landscape planner.

In what is now a dog park, the team is mapping out a stone circle of what is potentially a ceremonial or homestead site.

So far, they’ve uncovered what’s believed to be a bison bone and several pieces of old stone tools.

“I’ve grown up here, and just knowing that my roots come directly from the past and just... it’s really intriguing and cool,” said Taren Crowchief, an archaeological research assistant.

Crowchief is a member of Siksika Nation and says he was drawn to the work to gain a better understanding of where he comes from.

“I have a really big love for archeology, and just everything that this does is just intriguing. It has helped me see my history and the past and just everything about Alberta a lot differently,” he said.

Edworthy Park was settled in the 1880s, and markets, quarries and farming covered the area.

But its history goes far beyond that, with Indigenous peoples using the land for hunting and camping.

“That stone circle has been known since the 1970s, but there’s never been any additional work here or additional subsurface testing,” explained Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, a University of Calgary archaeology professor.

“We don’t know how old this site is, but we do know that within the city of Calgary, there are sites that stretch back from the contact period, Fort Calgary, all the way back (8,000 or) 9,000 years,” she said.

This is the second year of the partnership, and last year’s dig was at Nose Hill Park.

The work at Edworthy Park will continue into the first week of June, and Calgarians are encouraged to observe the dig and ask the students questions.