April 16, 2015

Wally’s Beach, Alberta Pre-Clovis

University of Calgary researchers are investigating the site of Wally’s Beach in Alberta. The tracks and bones of extinct animals, and stone tools were uncovered when the area was drained. The objects were dated at 13,000 years old on the first investigation in 1999. A new investigation has found that the artifacts are 300 years older, putting them into the Pre-Clovis category.
Brian Kooyman, one of the researchers, said that evidence of hunting horses was found there. They found the footprints of mammoths and camels. The new and more advanced dating methods in use today found the artifacts at Wally’s Beach were Pre-Clovis in date. The Clovis period in Calgary began 12,000 years ago. This site shows the beginnings of large scale hunting in the Americas as a prelude to the Clovis culture.

(my note: Of couse, it took a long time before 13,300 years ago for these hunters to reach Alberta. They would have had to leave Asia at an even earlier time).

The Calgary Herald has the news here;
http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/q-a-with-brian-kooyman-on-the-wallys-beach-site