Starting June 1, 2020 Fort Walsh National Historic Site will begin to offer limited access and services while maintaining physical distancing measures. The Battle Creek flows south and you would have crossed the bridge heading West. if(window.performance && typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') Fort Walsh National Historic Site is a must see for anyone interested in the history of Canada's NWMP. Fort Walsh was the first NWMP fort and was constructed in 1875. Costumed interpreters bring the story of the Fort to life, and their new Frontier Life program, which happens every Saturday in July and August let's you experience the cannons being fired as well! {{confirmModel.title}} : {{confirmModel.content}}, Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site. There are approximately eleven rows with sixty-five large rocks. _taboola.push({article:'auto'}); Fort Walsh Fort Walsh, located in the CYPRESS HILLS, 170 km southwest of present-day Swift Current, Saskatchewan, was an early North-West Mounted Police post constructed in 1875 by men under the command of Inspector James WALSH, for whom it was named.It became the headquarters of the force in the West in 1878, and until it was dismantled and abandoned (1883), Fort Walsh played a … Since the Rock Pile is located on private land, check with the Ranger at Fort Walsh on how to obtain permission to visit this remarkable place. google-site-verification: google60990d12dfd236c0.html However, the roads are very much passable and the destination well worth the journey. If I have made a mistake, sorry about that, but age catches up with you. Web Goddess (SunCruiser) SK S0N The hills form an Interprovincial Park on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan. There appears to be no answers to any of these questions. Just thought i'd let you know that I went back and took video http://ryanwunsch.com/mystery-rocks-of-saskatchewan-and-update/, Ryan Wunsch add_chatinline(); more than 2 years ago. (function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='acf4253c0d04927714e646830121f7aa7c2674e2526ac6a919714e78d5b501e4';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','//load.sumo.com/'); What was their original purpose? Maple Creek On top of the larger rocks are approximately fifteen carved basins that are four to eight inches in depth. Just outside the Cypress Hills is an odd collection of rocks that the locals call The Rock Pile or the Mystery Rocks. more than 2 years ago. Fort Walsh served as the main headquarters for the Northwest Mounted Police from 1878 until 1882. if (window.navigator && navigator.serviceWorker) { {window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');} e.async = 1; The presence of a large police force in the area reduced the illegal whiskey trading and calmed the tribes. !function (e, f, u, i) { The formation of the rocks could be an astrological site, similar to the better-known medicine wheels. if (!document.getElementById(i)){ Take a guided tour of the fort's buildings, the Fort Walsh townsite, two cemeteries and a reconstructed whiskey trading post. Even though I left with a little sadness, I felt the spirit of my father walking beside me and I was okay with the not solving the mystery. Fort Walsh was begun in June 1875 along the same Battle Creek, a short distance from the site of the massacre. What was the purpose of the basins? These massive rocks are largely rectangular, two to seven and a half metres (6 to 25 ft) in length and one and a half to three metres (5 to 9 ft) in depth. Even though I left with a little sadness, I felt the spirit of my father walking beside me and I was okay with the not solving the mystery. Take a guided tour of the fort's buildings, the Fort Walsh townsite, two cemeteries and a reconstructed whiskey trading post. document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0], All content is Copyright SunCruiser Publishing Inc. but we do like to share. navigator.serviceWorker.getRegistrations() The theory that these huge rocks were left behind during a period of glaciation, is easy to accept, but what you see next seems to defy this thought. Fort Walsh was the first NWMP fort and was constructed in 1875. Who carved the rocks and how? } The best photos can be found by Googling, courtneymilne/mystery rocks and ryanwunsch/mystery rocks. However, the roads are very much passable and the destination well worth the journey. Many questions remain. Developers there announced in March more than 300 additional homes were in the works. By hiking east from Abe Farwell’s Trading Post, the site of the Cypress Hills Massacre of 1873, I found the rock pile near the top of a hill overlooking a coulee. e.id = i; Both men are well-known photographers in Saskatchewan, with Ryan using a drone to give an aerial view of the rocks. .then(function(registrations) { It's not easy to get to Fort Walsh even if you're visiting the somewhat nearby Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. There appears to be no answers to any of these questions. There are also large rocks scattered around the site. Fort Walsh and Cypress Hills are in Saskatchewan, not Alberta. function add_chatinline(){var hccid=31805664;var nt=document.createElement("script");nt.async=true;nt.src="https://mylivechat.com/chatinline.aspx?hccid="+hccid;var ct=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];ct.parentNode.insertBefore(nt,ct);} After spending a day visiting Fort Walsh, my next goal was to find the mysterious pile of rocks, something my father had spoken about decades before and that has always been in my mind. Why did someone not finish cutting the rocks? You had mentioned you had hiked east from Abe Farwells, but you would have actually been hiking West. The Mysterious Rock Pile of the Cypress Hills, AB. } Visitors can also explore the ridge along Battle Creek on self-guided trails and view exhibits in the Visitor Reception Centre. more than 2 years ago. Within the park is Fort Walsh, a former North West Mounted Police (NWMP) fort, now designated as a National Historic Site. At the entrance we are met by Ariel, our guide, and a … Could the rocks compose an astrological or mythological site? The basins reminded me of a grinding bowl that the First Nations would have used to make flour from corn.