Boyd Wettlaufer conducted the first professional archaeological survey in Saskatchewan during 1951. He demonstrated the archaeological potential in the province. Wettlaufer is shown here at the Mortlach site in 1952, along with Albert Swanston, a Museum employee, and Alan Hudson who had discovered the site.

Wettlaufer, Swanston, and Hudson at the Mortlach site.

Deep in an excavation pit at the Long Creek site.

It was expected that the Long Creek Valley would be flooded following the construction of the Boundary Dam near Estevan in the late 1950s, so the Long Creek site was selected to be excavated as completely as possible in 1957. The site was found to consist of nine occupation levels, the oldest dating back 5000 years. This was one of the most important excavations made in the Northern Plains up to that time.

During 1960 to 1963, a large scale archaeological excavation was conducted at Gull Lake, Saskatchewan. The location had been used at least 19 times between 600 to 1900 years ago as a bison drive/kill site. In some areas the site was 7 metres (23 feet) deep. The artifacts were used to define a detailed chronology of changes in projectile point styles for the last 2000 years.

Museum archaeologist Tom Kehoe examining a bison skull at the Gull Lake Site.

Researchers working on the Churchill River study.

The Churchill River study of 1973 to 1976 was one of the first large scale impact assessment studies done in the province. Over 281 sites were recorded and provided much information about the ancient history of the north, especially the last 1000 years.