Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre

Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre is perched atop a hill overlooking a 1500 year-old Aboriginal ceremonial site in the Coalmine Ravine. This stunning archeological site includes a buffalo rubbing stone, buffalo jump, buffalo processing area, and various stone circles the exact meaning of which is still debated. Perhaps the most important finds to Native history are the three petroglyphs. These limestone carvings are believed to have been religious artifacts and are still used in Native spiritual ceremonies today. Guided tours of these protected monuments to the past are offered daily in the summertime. Indoor tours of our First Nation's exhibit, our paleo/geology room, and multiple other exhibits throughout the facility are offered year-round. Our Prairie Echoes Gallery displays the work of artists and photographers year-round. Most information on upcoming events and exhibits is available on our events and exhibit pages.

65 million years ago, Herschel and the surrounding area was a salt water sea. Three fossilized plesiosaur skeletons were discovered locally in the Coalmine Ravine. A variety of other marine fossils can be seen year round at Ancient Echoes.

Inside the Interpretive Centre there are displays of the plants and animals found in the ravine. The collection of taxidermy animals includes a full size bull buffalo from a local farm. Accompanying the ecological history of the area is the eighteen painting exhibit The Disappearance and Resurgence of the Buffalo by Jo Cooper. These paintings tell the story of the Native people from pre-contact to the present period of truth and reconciliation.