148 EXPLORATION OF THE PRAIRIES, 1879 



evidences of what had taken place in the past. We were ap- 

 parently camping where a great battle had taken place between 

 the Crees and the Blackfeet. Skulls and leg-bones were seen in 

 many places in large quantities although the smaller bones had 

 been eaten up by the animals. Great circles of stone were found 

 and in one place we found where the chief's tent had been pitched 

 surrounded with the tents of his warriors. This was the order 

 in which I found the Blackfeet encampment a few days later, 

 when we reached there. 



In the absence of the other party, Matheson and I had come 

 to the conclusion that, as my work for the season was now done, 

 I would have ample time to go to Calgary and up to Old Bow 

 Fort and get back to Battleford in time to go east. On the 

 return of the party, I broached the subject to them and gave Mr. 

 Wilkins provisions for fifty days for himself and two men, while 

 Ogilvie decided to go with Matheson and myself. The Wilkins 

 party was to proceed by slow marches up along the Red Deer 

 River for a certain distance and then turn north and west 

 and not attempt to reach Battleford before the 10th of 

 October. The next day, they started on the proposed route 

 and Phillips, the English half-breed, told me that he could show 

 me a way down to the Red Deer valley, where there was a ford 

 and a way up on the opposite side, to the prairie beyond. On 

 examination, I found that this was really where the Blackfeet 

 crossed the Red Deer when they were meaning to attack the 

 Crees. We found little difficulty in descending the five hundred 

 feet that formed the bank of the Red Deer about a mile below 

 where we had camped. We found the valley by the Red Deer to 

 be but a few hundred yards wide and the river a beautiful stream 

 of clear water, flowing through its centre. Ascending on the 

 opposite side was more difficult than descending, but it gave me 

 an opportunity to see the rocks on both sides. The strata was 

 exposed so that I could see layers of coal and remains of extinct 

 animals and shale and solid rock. I had never seen such an 

 exposure before. 



When we reached the summit, we entered what was called 

 Crowfoot Coulee, and, in this, I discovered my first coal exposure, 



