Canada's Digital Collections
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Back to Home and The Collection Timelines
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About the Project
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The Project Team
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Credits
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The Project Partners
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Resources and Links
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Contact Us
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Portraits and People
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Places of Important Note
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Trade, Commerce and Industry
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The Evolution of Transportation
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Downtown Regina and Life in the City
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Noteworthy Events in Regina's History
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In the Beginning (1800's - 1910)
Long before the arrival of the first settlers the Regina area was known by First 
Nations people as a place where buffalo grazed.  The Cree Indians who 
came to the area used buffalo as their main source of food,clothing and 
shelter.  The unused buffalo bones were gathered into huge round piles that 
were about 2 metres high and 12 metres in diameter at the base.  

Shinbones and other long bones were placed at the bottom of the pile, 
radiating out like the spokes of a wheel.  The Cree name for this special 
place was Oskana-Ka-asateki -"the bones that are piled together."  The first 
settlement at the site was called "Pile O' Bones."

Over the years, the spot was a refuge for many.  The Metis hunted there. 
Explorers, fur-traders, surveyors and settlers who crossed the plains also had 
special names for the area, including "Many Bones," "Bone Creek" and "The 
Old Crossing."
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