During this period, palaeontological research in Alberta’s Peace Region was still very new. While reports of mineral deposits and fossil finds had been made by settlers, hunters, and Indigenous peoples, these discoveries had not yet drawn widespread attention. In 1905, Alberta and Saskatchewan were formally designated as provinces. With these new political designations, the national government commissioned surveys of these regions to explore their potential for natural resources, such as coal. These surveys brought geologists and later palaeontologists to the province.
Pioneering Geologists: Laying The Groundwork
Some of the first informal palaeontological investigations in the region were conducted in the late 1800s by pioneering geologists. These included Joseph Burr Tyrrell, namesake of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, who worked for the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). They were among the first to play a key role in the understanding of Alberta’s geological history, the evolution of life, and past environmental conditions. The development of the oil and gas industry in the early 20th century also indirectly fuelled the growth of palaeontological discovery.
Great Canadian Dinosaur Rush: The First Fossil Finds
In 1922, F. H. McLearn, a railway engineer and amateur fossil hunter, discovered fossil bone fragments along the Red Deer River. It was one of the first documented dinosaur fossil finds in Alberta. McLearn’s discovery would help trigger the ‘Great Canadian Dinosaur Rush’ in the early 1900s, when museums and other institutions paid fossil hunters to feverously collect dinosaur fossils from the Canadian badlands to put on exhibit. Charles H. Sternberg and his three sons, a famous American fossil hunting family, collected thousands of dinosaur specimens from western Canada while employed by the Canadian Geological Survey (now the Canadian Museum of Nature).
Mapping Alberta: A New Perspective
In 1925, geologist John Allan produced the first geological map of the province. This map was also a crucial milestone, as it charted the fossil-bearing formations of the region.
While the early work of the late 1800s and early 1900s was important and foundational, the focus tended to be in the badlands of southern Alberta. It wasn’t until the mid-to-late 1920s that more comprehensive palaeontological research in the Peace River area took place.
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