Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Alberta

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre, located 165 kilometres south of Calgary and 16 kilometres west of Fort Macleod, is one of the best preserved and oldest buffalo jumps in North America. By virtue of this fact, along with the excellant interpretive centre on it's site, Head-Smashed-In has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The interpretive center documents the buffalo hunting culture of the Plains indians from their beginnings until the arrival of the Europeans.

At a buffalo jump, the indians would panic a herd of buffalo into a stampede. Members of the tribe forced the herd to follow a path that ended a cliff. The buffalo, now in blind panic, would simply run right off the edge of the cliff, killing themselves in the fall. Head-Smashed-In (supposedly) gets it's name from the story of an indian brave who wished to witness the plunging bufalo from under the shelter of a ledge under the cliff. An unusually boutiful day caused the pile of dead buffalo to reach higher than expected, crushing the brave against the cliff. When the rest of the tribe came to butcher the buffalo, they found the brave with his head smashed in, crushed by the weight of the buffalo.

The site features an impressive interpretive center, complete with a 80 seat theatre which features a 10 minute film recreating a buffalo hunt. Interpretive guides are employed to share information about indian culture with the visitors.An archeological site exists where the indians processed the buffalo meat, where scientists are trying to learnn more about the natives and their culture.

More information about the site and tour reservations can be obtained by writing Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Box 1977, Fort Macleod, Alberta, T0L 0Z0, or by phoning (403) 553-2731.

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