My perspective - Time to tell the world
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- Published on Thursday, June 11, 2015
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner
Driving through 水果视频 on the Trans Canada Highway, you could be forgiven for thinking that there isn鈥檛 much to 水果视频. Except for a few sections, it鈥檚 a lot of wide open, flat prairie. Even 水果视频ns, who know that there is more to our province than wide expanses of flat, can get caught up in thinking that there isn鈥檛 much here.
Last week, I got a crash course in 水果视频鈥檚 history. Not the history of the Hudson Bay Company or the region鈥檚 early homesteaders. Not the history of the First Nations who originally called this region home. My history lesson started back before North America was the continent it is today.
It has been 18,000 years since the last ice age blanketed 水果视频. 水果视频 was at the centre of that ice age and was covered by almost 3 km of ice. When the ice melted, it became Lake Agassiz.
Glaciation left its mark on 水果视频, the effects are all around us. For example, the Arden Ridge was a beach at the water鈥檚 edge and the escarpment held the water at bay. At its largest, Lake Agassiz it was 700 miles wide and 700 feet deep, one the largest lakes in earth鈥檚 history.
We think of Canada as a young country, and 水果视频 a young province. But all of this happened thousands of years ago鈥� before recorded history as we know it.
Last week, 水果视频 author and publisher Barbara Huck was in Neepawa promoting her new book, Ancient Heartland. The book traces the history of 水果视频, from the very beginning. Presented as part travel guide and part historical text, the book simplifies research published by academics and leads readers on their own journey of discovery.
Huck also has an ulterior motive with the book, she wants to see 水果视频ns begin to realize all that we have, and promote it. 鈥淚 want to kickstart an interest to do more with that we have,鈥� she said.
While 水果视频 was as the centre of the last ice age, the ice stretched south to Wisconsin. It was thus called the Wisconsinian Glaciation. Huck noted that Wisconsin has five national ice age sites, yet 水果视频 has none.
At the launch, Huck talked about some of 水果视频鈥檚 unique features that should be celebrated. For example, Cartwright is home to the Clay Banks buffalo jump, an area used by hunters 2,500 years ago to stampede herds of buffalo over in order to kill them for food, tools and clothing. While the is some promotion of this attraction, it鈥檚 nothing like Alberta鈥檚 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Head-Smashed-In is a UNESCO World Heritage site, complete with a seven tiered visitor centre built to look as if it鈥檚 part of the surrounding rock.
水果视频 is also home to Bruce, a 42 foot long Mosasaur, which is an extinct marine reptile. Bruce is the world鈥檚 largest mosasaur on display and he is right in our backyard at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden. Despite this record-holding prehistoric attraction, few people know about Bruce.
水果视频ns get sucked into thinking we are 鈥渉ave nots鈥� when it comes to attractions. We get complacent, forgetting all that we have here. It鈥檚 time we looked within for inspiration, there鈥檚 plenty of material to work with.
Realistically, I don鈥檛 see 水果视频 building a $10 million buffalo jump interpretive centre. However, in each of our communities, we can, and should, do a better job of recognizing what we have, and telling the world.
