LaPrairieaire Historic Sites
PALEONTOLOGY & ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES
The attached photos are examples of the diverse paleontological and archeologic sites and objects that have been found at LaPrairieaire with your Tour Guide and Host. The object in the photo with the watch for size reference, found on LaPrairieaire lands has been identified by Tyrell Museum personnel as a Tyrannosaurus Rex tooth. The image of the two part object (each piece found at different times) has been identified, also by Tyrell personnel as a piece of spinal armour (frill) worn by a Hadrosaur. The coal slag heap in the badlands photo is all that remains of a turn of the 20th century coal mining community in a valley near the campsite on the Ferry Point property.
LOCAL HISTORIC SITES
In addition to the Ancient and Indigenous history, many other historically significant sites scatter the areas surrounding LaPrairieaire. The Village of Donalda has restored many of its turn-of-the-century historic buildings within the village which include the Donalda Co-Op Creamery, the railway station, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which now houses the public art gallery. Meeting Creek, just a short distance away and set in a picturesque valley, is designated as an Alberta Historic Site. A restored railway station and grain elevators (some of the final structures like this left on the prairies) provide tours of the buildings and their agricultural significance. Many abandoned homesteads still pepper the landscape, further painting a picture of the social and economic history of the area. The church pictured below, was the first in the area. Encompassed by a striking grove of poplar and spruce trees , the building and cemetery are still in use, and date back to the early 1900's.
