Boyd Wettlaufer

Boyd N.D. Wettlaufer, C.M., (b. 1914 in Asquith, Saskatchewan, Canada) is considered "the Father of Saskatchewan Archaeology." His groundbreaking archaeological work in western Canada is considered the foundation of our knowledge of the Northern Plains First Nations people.

Wettlaufer joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1938 and was stationed in Alberta, Canada when he discovered the Belly River meteorite. He subsequently attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he studied archaeology.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Wettlaufer played a key role in the excavations of the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump site in Alberta and the Mortlach and Long Creek sites in Saskatchewan. Wettlaufer's work at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump would lead eventually to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. He was one of the first archaeologists in Canada to use the radiocarbon dating method to establish the ages of various layers of settlements. His reports provided invaluable information on the differences between various hunting and gathering cultures dating back several thousand years.

References

* cite press release
title = Governor General announces new appointments to the Order of Canada
publisher = Office of the Secretary to the Governor General
date = 2004-01-27
url = http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4110
accessdate = 2006-08-03

* cite journal
last = Wettlaufer
first = B.
coauthors = Whyte, A.
title = Discovery of the Belly River Meteorite: New Information
journal = The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
volume = 98
issue = 6
pages = 238–239
date = December 2004
url = http://www.rasc.ca/journal/pdfs/2004-dec.pdf
format = PDF
id = ISSN 0035-872X
accessdate = 2006-08-03