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| 60 - 70 Million Years ago |
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| Located in the heart of the Badlands, Drumheller Valley has an interesting history which spans back some 70 million years to a time when the area was very different looking than it is today. The land was flat and the climate was tropic like, providing the needed habitat for plants and animals alike to flourish. These vast plains crossed by many rivers originating in the Rocky Mountains and spilling into the Bear Paw sea, were the home of what we today know as the Dinosaur. Over time as these giants died their bodies were covered with sediment from the rivers, which in turn preserved them. | ||
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The next event in time was the arrival of the Ice Age, which covered the region with ice. This layer of ice at it is thinnest was 1 kilometer thick As these glaciers melted, lakes were formed, leaving further deposits. this formed Drumheller's Red Deer River Valley as we know it today. | |
At the end of the ice age this newly formed Valley became home to new inhabitants, first animals and plants then, the Native People. Living in both the Valley and prairie that surrounds it, they made for themselves a quiet, serene existence. Their existence in the area is marked by buffalo jumps, ceremonial sites and camp sites. They stayed for many years, with the land and river providing for them. |
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1900's The Valley was first inhabited by Thomas Greentree, who in 1902 built his homestead, in what is today the Town of Drumheller. It was Sam Drumheller, who first exploited the rich coal reserves in the area. With more than 40 mines littering the valley, new settlers arrived looking for a better life. |
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| Drumheller Valley Today   Drumheller is a town of
approximately 6300 people, with agriculture, energy and tourism as it's economic bases.
With the opening of the Tyrrell Museum in 1985, the area sees thousands of visitors every
year, wanting to experience all the Valley has to offer. With the scenic drives, unique
landscape and many attractions, Drumheller is visited by thousands every year |
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White explorers did not discover the area until
the 1880's. J.B. Tyrrell, in
his search for coal deposits along the river, discovered a skull of a dinosaur. That
dinosaur is today known as Albertasaurus. This marked the beginning of the collection of
dinosaur remains, that are sought after by museums all over the world, including the Royal
Tyrrell Museum in the Drumheller Valley.
The Calgary-Drumheller railway was opened in
1913 and the coal industry boomed. As the supply of coal diminished and the mines closed
around the mid-1900's, a new source of energy was discovered. Oil was found in the area
and Drumheller became home to a new industry. Oil companies competing for their share of
the oil made Drumheller a busy town once again. 
