Alberta Register of Historic Places

Airdrie Erratic

Airdrie, Near

Other Names:

Airdrie Erratic Pictograph

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place
The Airdrie Erratic is a massive boulder situated on roughly 6 hectares of land just north of Sharp Hill, near Airdrie. The erratic is composed of coarse, bedded quartzite and features a large central fracture that divides the boulder into two large blocks. On the south face of the erratic are a number of barely recognizable ochre pictographs of geometrical shapes. Several other erratics are located nearby, but they are not included in the designation.

Heritage Value
The heritage value of the Airdrie Erratic lies in the scientific insights it bears into the history of glaciation in Alberta during the last ice age and in the archaeological importance of the pictographs present on the erratic's south face.

The Airdrie Erratic is part of the Foothills Erratics Train, a long, narrow strip of erratics (glacially-deposited boulders) stretching from the Jasper area south to the American border. Geologists believe that a rockslide in the mountains near Jasper dropped large quartzite boulders onto the surface of the passing Athabasca valley glacier during the last ice age. The glacier initially moved eastward before being deflected to the south by the massive continental ice sheet. As the glacier flowed south, it deposited a wealth of boulders along its path, including the massive Airdrie Erratic. Located along a separate arm of the Foothills Erratics Train slightly east of the main tract, the Airdrie Erratic is situated amidst the richest collection of large, glacially-deposited boulders within the train. It thus provides strong evidence of the glacial flows of the Cordilleran glaciers and the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Wisconsin glaciation of North America.

It is believed that roughly 10,000 years ago, an ice-free corridor emerged between the Cordilleran glaciers and the Laurentide Ice Sheet, providing one of the principal passageways for the earliest inhabitants of North America to penetrate the interior of the continent. Carried south by the meeting of these two ice sheets and deposited during the creation of this corridor, the Airdrie Erratic offers insights into when and how Native peoples may have entered present-day Alberta. The erratic clearly possessed significance for the Native peoples who ultimately came to inhabit southern Alberta. On the south face of the boulder may be discerned ochre pictographs of geometrical shapes. Though barely recognizable, these markings testify to the spiritual significance of the erratic for the region's Native peoples. The polished surface of the erratic and the depression surrounding it suggests that it likely also served as a rubbing stone for buffalo and cattle.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 792)

Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Airdrie Erratic include such features as:
- mass, form, and scale of the erratic;
- location of the erratic;
- polished surfaces of the erratic and surrounding depressions;
- ochre pictographs on the south face of the erratic;
- information potential for further insights into glacial flows and the migrations of early North Americans.

Location

Street Address:
Community:	Airdrie, Near
Boundaries:	NE 1/4 of Legal Subdivision 7 and W 1/2 of NW 1/4 of Legal Subdivision 8 in 14-27-29-W4
Contributing Resources:

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
4 4	29 29	27 27	14 14	7 (ptn.) 8 (ptn.)

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
51.306268	-113.972872		NAD 83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	1979/03/20

Historical Information

Built:	N/A
Period of Significance:	N/A
Theme(s):
Historic Function(s):	Environment : Nature Element
Current Function(s):	Environment : Nature Element
Architect:
Builder:
Context:	This is one of the richest concentrations of large erratics anywhere in the Foothills Erratics Train. These blocks form part of a separate arm of the erratics train located east of the main train. They were deposited on the Sharp Hill upland which was surrounded on three sides by lower continental ice. This eastern arm then represents an inlier of mountain ice into the continental ice front. The elevation of the erratics on the eastern side of Sharp Hill also mark the western extension of a later continental ice readvance. The erratic has Indian pictographs on its surface. It is composed of coarse bedded quartzite. Geology Site Data (Nov. 3, 1977)

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-0089
Designation File:	DES 0792
Related Listing(s):
Heritage Survey File:	HS 26532
Website Link:
Data Source:	Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 792)