Golder Associates Ltd. 1oth Floor, 940 6th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 3Tl Telephone (403) 299-5600 Fax (403) 299-5606 REPORT ON IDSTORICAL RESOURCES IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR SUNCOR'S PROJECT MILLENNIUM. PERMIT #97-123 Submitted to: Suncor Energy Inc., Oil Sands Fort McMurray, Alberta Prepared by: Grant M. Clarke Golder Associates ltd. Calgary, Alberta October 1998 972-2205 OFFICES IN AUSTRALIA CANADA GERMANY, HUNGARY, ITALY, SWEDEN, UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the autumn of 1997, Golder Associates Ltd. completed an Historical Resources Impact Assessment (HRIA) on behalf of Suncor Energy Inc. (Suncor). This HRIA was completed to investigate lands proposed for disturbance during construction and operation of Suncor's Project Millennium. Project Millennium is located on the south and east sides of the Steepbank Mine, north of Fort McMurray. All work completed for this Project was conducted under Historical Resources Permit #97-123, issued by Alberta Community Development to Grant Clarke. The field assessment was completed under the direction of Mr. Clarke. Field crews varied in size from three to five archaeologists and included Grant Clarke, Brian Ronaghan, Dana Dalmer, Sid Rempel and Terry Beaulieu. The Millennium Project will impact portions of four Townships of land including T91-R09, T92- R09, T91-R08 and T92-R08-W4M. Due to the fact that the project encompasses large tracts of land covered by fens and other areas exhibiting varying degrees of potential for historical resources, a vegetation and hydrology based model was used to define areas of high, moderate and low potential prior to the initiation of field work. Observations made as during the course of aerial reconnaissance and in-field inspection resulted in a modification of the original assessment of potential. Field work included concentrated pedestrian inspections of high and moderate potential areas, and aerial reconnaissance of areas of low potential. Aerial reconnaissance was also completed over the entire project area in an effort to ensure adequacy of the inspection strategy. In accordance with the distribution of high and moderate potential areas, field investigations were concentrated in two locations. The first location is situated in the southern portion of the HRIA study area, along Wood and McLean creeks. The second area is situated along the northern and eastern portions of the study area, along the top of the Steepbank River terrace. Two previously recorded prehistoric sites, HfOu 1 and 2, are located in the vicinity of the HRIA study area. These sites are both isolated find locations and were recorded during the HRIA completed for the Steep bank Mine. Neither of these sites were recommended for further study at that time and were not revisited during the course of this investigation. Site file searches also indicated that five historical sites had been recorded in the vicinity of the Project Millennium development area. These include four well locations drilled by Count Alfred Von Hammerstein (HS 44043, 44045, 44046 and 44047) and one well location drilled by the Athabaska Oil and Asphalt Company (HS 44044) in the early 1900's. Only two of the sites lie potentially within Project Millennium mine footprint. Due to scant record information, one of these locations (HS 4044) cannot be verified beyond a half section of land: the south half of Section 20-91-09-W4M. Only a small part of this half section is located within the Project Millennium footprint. Site HS 44043 is located within the mine footprint, in LSD 14-10-91-09- W4M. The remaining three sites are located within the Steepbank Mine footprint. None of these sites appear to have been field assessed during the original recording. All site information was originally obtained from published texts (Ells 1926; de Mille 1969). No physical remains were observed during the course of the Steepbank or Millennium Mine HRIAs to confirm the locations of these sites. Field assessment resulted in the observation of three cultural resources and one palaeontological locale. The cultural sites include two trappers cabins and one site of unknown origin identified by a moderate sized depression, an associated mound, and a sparse artifact scatter. As none of these sites are greater than 50 years of age they do not qualify as historical resources under the Alberta Historical Resources Act and were not formally recorded. However, these sites do help us understand the historical and traditional land use practices in the region. The palaeontological site consists of an outcrop of bedrock located along the eastern edge of the Athabasca River. The bedrock is part of the Moberly Member of the Waterways formation. The Waterways formation is Upper Devonian in age and outcrops regularly along this section of the Athabasca River. Fossils included in this outcrop include bulbous stromatoporoids, mullosc shells and other marine invertebrates. A cumulative effects assessment of the current and proposed oil sands mining operations in northeastern Alberta was also completed as part of this assessment. This analysis expands current understandings of the distribution of sites in the region and provides a possible explanation for why there is a relatively sparse concentration of historical resources throughout the Project Millennium development area. CREDITS Project Directors John R. Gulley Rebecca J. Balcom Project Manager Brian M. Ronaghan Permit Holder Grant M. Clarke Report Author Grant M. Clarke Field Investigators Grant M. Clarke Brian M. Ronaghan Dana Dalmer Sidney Rempel Terry Beaulieu Site File Searches Lisa Mutch Golder Associates and Suncor would like to thank Andy Neuman and Paul Johnson of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology for their assistance in the identification of the fossil materials identified during this HRIA. October 1998 - 1 - TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 2. PROJECT LOCATION, DESCRIPTION AND POTENTIAL IMP ACTS ............................. 2 2.1 PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION ................................................................. 2 2.2 POTENTIAL IMP ACTS .................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Historical Resources ............................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 Direct Impacts ........................................................................................................ 8 2.2.3 Indirect Impacts .................................................................................................... 11 3. ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................. 13 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT .......................................................................................... 14 4.1 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................ 14 4.1.1 Physiography and Bedrock Geology .................................................................... 14 4.1.2 Climate ............................................................................... ·.................................. 15 4.1.3 Soils ...................................................................................................................... 17 4.2 RESOURCE AVAILABILITY ........................................................................................ 17 4.2.1 Vegetation ............................................................................................................. 17 4.2.2 Fauna .................................................................................................................... 19 4.2.3 Water .................................................................................................................... 20 4.3 PALAEOENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................. 20 5. CULTURAL CONTEXT AND PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH .............. 25 5.1 Cultural Context ............................................................................................................... 26 5 .1.1 Early Prehistoric Period (1 0,000 - 7,500 years ago) ............................................ 26 5 .1.2 Middle Prehistoric Period (7 ,500 - 1,200 years ago) ........................................... 29 5.1.3 Late Prehistoric Period (1,200- 300 years ago) ................................................... 32 5.1.4 Prehistoric Use of Beaver River Sandstone ......................................................... 33 5.1.5 Protohistoric/Historic Period (300- 100 years B.P.) ........................................... 35 5 .2 Regional History .............................................................................................................. 37 5.2.1 Contact Period ...................................................................................................... 37 6. HERITAGE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ......................................................................... 42 6.1 PREHISTORIC SITE TYPES .......................................................................................... 42 6.1.1 Habitation Sites .................................................................................................... 42 6.1.2 Kill Sites and Processing Sites ............................................................................