ROCKYVIEW, Alta. - Archeologists have unearthed tools and bison bones east of Calgary that help paint a picture of what life was like for indigenous people in the area hundreds of years ago.

The provincial government is wrapping up a three-year program to preserve artifacts that were affected by flooding in southern Alberta in 2013.

There are two excavation sites near the banks of the Bow River where crews have been busy digging and sifting.

It's believed one area was where bison were killed and butchered, while another nearby was where the meat was prepared.

Archeologist Daniel Meyer says the artifacts are providing clues about when indigenous people started making tools out of materials that made their way from eastern Canada and even Europe via traders.

The work needs to be done before the ground freezes -- and was temporarily scuttled when heavy snow swept through the area today.