Susan R. Eaton, MI’11 Director, Prairies/NWT Region, Canadian Chapter, Explorers Club Email: [email protected]

and

Theresa and Scott Reesor Box 1001 Maple Creek, S0N 1N0 Phone/Fax 1-306-662-3498 http://www.reesorranch.com/aboutranch.html Email: [email protected]

Expedition to the , Saskatchewan, June 15-18, 2017

First Nations peoples occupied the Cypress Hills for millennia, where they harvested abundant game and plants, and held their spiritual ceremonies. Today, visitors enjoy the breath-taking vistas of the Cypress Hills, which have been preserved as Canada’s first Interprovincial Park and Dark-Sky Preserve spanning the Saskatchewan–Alberta border.

The Cypress Hills tower some 200 metres above the surrounding prairies—reaching an elevation of 1,468 metres above sea level—and represent the highest point between the Labrador and the Rocky Mountains.

Expedition participants will experience the steep rises, lush valleys and pine-scented breezes of mountain air atop this island in the prairies. The area is world-renowned for its rare orchids, rough fescue (grasses), expansive lodgepole pine forests, and for its unique geological, archaeological and historical significance.

The area is also home to pronghorn antelope, white-tailed and mule deer, moose, elk, fox, coyotes, bobcats and cougars.

The Explorers Club will be hosted by Scott and Theresa Reesor, at their Reesor Historic Ranch which celebrated its 100th birthday in 2016. The Reesors are very excited to host our intrepid group of explorers.

Join us as we celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary by stepping back in time to the 1870s… and further…

1

Imagine the North-West Mounted Police—resplendent in their Red Serge—riding across the prairies; hear Métis legends handed down through generations; and discover Canada's part in the aftermath of the Battle of Little Big Horn.

During this expedition, participants will learn the following about the Cypress Hills:

• The unique geology, hydrogeology, flora and fauna of this north-south continental divide which remained ice free during the last glacial period; • The natural beauty of the starry skies in this Dark-Sky Preserve; • The history of ’ occupation; • The history of the North-West Mounted Police in southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, and the illegal whisky trade in adjacent Montana; • The history of , the North-West Mounted Police’s outpost and the site of the ; • The Story of Sitting Bull, Chief of the Hunkpapa (Lakota), who sought refuge in the Cypress Hills after defeating General Custer and the 7th U.S. Cavalry; • Tour , a sleepy hamlet and the childhood home of Pulitzer-Prize winning author Wallace Stegner, and the source of inspiration for his book, “Wolf Willow.” • Eastend is also home to the T-Rex Discovery Centre, built to house the fossil remains of “Scotty,” a Tyranosaurus rex who was discovered nearby. • Cowboy comfort, poetry and western hospitality at the Historic Reesor Ranch.

2

Activities on Ranch:

• 2-hour Horseback Adventures included every day, if desired; • Tour of historic ranch buildings; • 3-km self-guided hike on the Kinnikinik Kliff Trail on the Reesor Ranch property (with or without guide); • Viewpoint spanning 50 miles – ranch is 1,372 metres (4,500 feet) above sea level; • Conglomerate Cliffs on the Reesor Ranch property; • Hike to view the Striped Corral Root Orchids; • Poetry session by Scott Reesor during evening meals; • Free firewood for evening campfires included.

Cypress Hills attractions to enjoy:

• Tour the Fort Walsh National Historic Site with a private guide; • Inspect the Conglomerate Cliffs by Fort Walsh, near and/or on the Reesor Ranch property; • View Spring flowers – alpine flora and fauna; • View Wildlife – birds, mule and white-tail deer, elk, moose, cougar;

3

• Tour the sleepy hamlet of Eastend – Visit Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wallace Stegner’s childhood House and the T-Rex Discovery Centre

Draft Itinerary:

Note: According to Google maps, it’s a 4.25-hour drive to the Historic Reesor Ranch from Calgary, and a 5.50-hour drive from Saskatoon.

June 15 Arrive Reesor Ranch in afternoon Roast beef buffet supper served at 6 pm – Cowboy poetry by Scott Evening campfire / Star gazing

June 16 Breakfast at 9 am Leave for Fort Walsh National Historic Site tour at 10 am / Geology Field trip with Dr. Nat Rutter/ Horseback ride Bagged lunch supplied Possible branding at Stodalka Ranch mid-afternoon Return for steak supper at 6 pm – Cowboy poetry by Scott Evening campfire / Star gazing 4

June 17 Breakfast at 9 am Horseback Ride or Hike the Kinnikinik Kliff Trail Bagged lunch supplied After lunch – Kinnikinik Kliff Trail Hike / Horseback Ride 6 pm Chuckwagon Chili Supper – Cowboy poetry by Scott Evening campfire / Star gazing

June 18 Breakfast at 9 am Hike to Striped Corral Root Orchid Haven on Reesor Ranch Bagged lunch supplied Departure to Eastend to tour the home of Wallace Stegnar and the T-Rex Discovery Centre Depart for home around 4pm

Cypress Hills Expedition Package – all-inclusive includes:

• Lodging for the nights of June 15, 16 and 17 • Meals from Thursday dinner to Sunday lunch, inclusive

5

Three nights’ accommodations for up to 31 guests – stay in the 100-year-old ranch house, the log barn, the cowboy cabin or the bunkhouse. Or pitch your tent!

• Old Log Barn – Loft & Rancher’s Row - 15 singles or 30 db occupancy • #1 Log Cabin - 5 singles or 4 singles in loft and 2 db occupancy • #2 Cowboy's Cabin - 2 singles or 4 db occupancy • #3 Bunkhouse - 4 singles or 2 singles and 4 db occupancy • Ranchhouse #1 Keith & Helen room - 1 single or 2 db occupancy • Ranchhouse #2 WD & Alice room – 2 singles or 1 single and 2 db occupancy • Ranchhouse #3 WD & Alice room - 1 single or 2 db occupancy • Ranchhouse #4 Ranchhand's room – 1 single or 2 db occupancy • Ranchhouse #5 Kinfolk Room - 1 single or 2 db occupancy

Cost per person, based on 15 guests:

Cost per person - $158.55 + tax/fee = $173.00 per day per person Cost per person tenting - $106.54 + tax/fee = $114 per day per person

In accommodations: $173 x 3 days = $519 incl tax/fee Tenting accommodations: $114 x 3 days = $342 incl tax/fee

** 2-hour Horseback Riding Adventure is extra $70 incl tax/fee

• The Reesor Ranch requires a 30% non-refundable deposit at time of booking and balance one month in advance. • Please note that time is of the essence, with respect to booking your accommodation. The Historic Reesor Ranch is holding a block of rooms for the Explorers Club. But, given that summer is their busy season, Scott and Theresa will not hold the rooms, exclusively, for us for more than a couple of weeks.

6

Striped Coral Root Orchids

Additional Expedition Costs: • $25/pp per day (Friday-Sunday) to pay for local guides (archaeologists, historians, scientists, naturalists, First Nations experts) and fees for historic sites and museums = $75.00 to be paid to Susan R. Eaton; • Unused funds will be returned to expedition participants.

Reading materials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypress_Hills_(Canada) http://www.saskparks.net/CypressHills https://www.albertaparks.ca/cypress-hills http://www.cypresshills.com/ http://www.visitcypresshills.ca/ http://www.reesorranch.com/ https://royalsaskmuseum.ca/trex/contact http://www.visitcypresshills.ca/contact-us/

7 https://www.amazon.ca/Wolf-Willow-History-Memory- Frontier/dp/0141185015/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491802327&sr=1-1 Wallace Stegner weaves together fiction and nonfiction, history and impressions, childhood remembrance and adult reflections in this unusual portrait of his boyhood. Set in Cypress Hills in southern Saskatchewan, where Stegner's family homesteaded from 1914 to 1920, Wolf Willow brings to life both the pioneer community and the magnificent landscape that surrounds it.

8