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Badlands
Drumheller, Alberta.
This area is found in central Alberta’s "Badlands", so-called for the spectacular effects of eroding bedrock and its wide range of natural land features. Former glacial lake basins, rolling till, sandy outwash flats and grainy end moraines punctuate the often-sublime landscape. Drumheller to the west traces the meandering route of the Red River. The soil in and around Drumheller is exceptionally fertile, an anomaly in the Alberta plains where soil cover is generally thin or non-existent. In the Badlands the rolling fertile fields give way to steep dry coulees revealing the strata of many thousands of years’ erosion by sun, wind, water and time. CLIMATE The area enjoys a moderate climate with an average of 2,490 h of sunlight per annum. The winter temperatures are generally cold, but are often moderated (as much as 34° C in a single day) by the warm dry Chinook winds that descend now and then from the Rockies. This same range also prevents much of the moist air masses from reaching the Badlands, resulting in little precipitation. ECONOMY In order of magnitude, agriculture, tourism and oil/gas production constitute the bulk of the economic base of Drumheller. As oil and gas prices have leveled off in recent years, the technology-based economies have been threatened, save for the paleontologists, fibre optic technicians and computing professionals employed by the world renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum- also one of Alberta’s largest tourist draws. HISTORY It is postulated from fossil records that in pre-recorded history many a large reptile roamed the once-lush, humid plains of the Drumheller Valley. About 10 000 years ago the glaciers began their slow retreat; since then, dynamic rock formations and the bones of long-departed dinosaurs have been revealed.Much more recently, the nation-building efforts of the Canadian government in the 19th century (namely, the Trans-Canada Railroad) required vast amounts of energy, resulting in the exploitation of the region’s rich energy deposits. Miners by the thousands flocked to this area to excavate the rich coal deposits from the forty-odd mines dotting the region. As a bonus, the soil was found to be rich and fertile, encouraging small farm enterprises and homesteads to spring up. The result: the founding of the town of Drumheller. The petroleum industry has since eclipsed the one for coal; the rich oil deposits of the region have been exploited since the fifties. The natural gas pockets found atop these deposits have been simply burned off before the 1980’s- the rise of the natural gas industry has halted this wasteful practice and resulted in yet another shift in the economic base. This rich archeological record described above has resulted in one of the largest paleontology museums in the world: the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Ironically, it is the skeletons of the giant reptiles that over time augment the often-hazardous oil supply. There are problems with soil toxicity and acid rain in the area. Are we the users following their lead into extinction? CULTURE The culture of the miner is one of isolation, long hours and release (as in saloons and gaming shacks). This culture has since given way to an emerging academic and arts based one- the research facility at the Tyrrell Museum is unparalleled in the world regarding paleontology. Regarding the arts, various theater troupes often visit the local natural amphitheater including the Canadian Badlands Passion Play.
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