Description of Historic Place

The Buffalo Rubbing Stone Provincial Historic Site is located approximately 30 km west of the Town of Kindersley in southwestern Saskatchewan. The half-hectare site features a large polished boulder sitting on a patch of native prairie, with a deep rut worn around the perimeter of the boulder.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Buffalo Rubbing Stone Provincial Historic Site lies in its status as a memorial to the vast herds of bison that once roamed North America’s grasslands. The boulder’s polished surfaces and the encircling rut are the result of generations of bison rubbing against the rock to remove winter coats or alleviate the itch of insect bites. The rubbing stone is a tangible reminder of the animal that once dominated the prairie ecosystem, was the economic foundation of First Nations societies, and provided the meat and pemmican that were indispensable to the fur trade. Once numbered in the millions, the arrival of Europeans brought the bison to the edge of extinction. Recently, they have recovered somewhat as captive herds in parks and ranches, and are again becoming a significant economic resource.

There were once numerous rubbing stones scattered about the prairies. Most, however, were removed as the grasslands disappeared under the plough. Many of the rubbing stones that can still be found on the remaining vestiges of native prairie have been adopted by the bison's successor, domestic cattle.

Source:

Province of Saskatchewan, Order in Council 870/86, August 21, 1986.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Buffalo Rubbing Stone Provincial Historic Site resides in the following character-defining elements:
-the boulder in its original location on a tract of native grassland;
-elements associated with use of the site by bison, including the boulder’s polished but otherwise unmarred surfaces, and the rut worn around the perimeter of the boulder.