Description of Historic Place

The Stott Site, about five kilometres west of Brandon, comprises an ancient First Nations burial mound, bison kill site and campsite, all of which are contained on a section of the steep slope and flat floodplain of the Assiniboine River valley. A dense forest of trees marks the rim of the upper slope. The provincial designation applies to the large area of a part of a quarter-section site.

Heritage Value

The value of the Stott Site lies primarily in its function as a bison kill site. It was at this location, where the northeastern slope of the Assiniboine river valley is markedly steeper than other areas, where First Nations peoples trapped and killed large numbers of bison approximately 1,000 years ago. In the shelter of the valley wall they also collected and processed the meat and other local resources like fish, birds and berries. Over the years the area became an important burial site. Archaeological evidence of hunting, meat processing, habitation and mortuary activities lay buried beneath the ground within the forested slopes of the valley wall and out onto the river's floodplain.

Sources: Minister in Charge of Libraries and Museums, May 11, 1948

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the complex heritage character of the Stott Site include:
- the northeastern slope of the Assiniboine River valley and the flat expanse of land above and below the valley wall which are the landscape features associated with Aboriginal bison hunting and processing
- the burial mound on the northeastern wooded slope of the river valley which is contextually linked to the bison meat processing and habitation areas
- the buried archaeological remains associated with bison hunting and meat processing
- the buried archaeological remains from First Nations habitation areas
- the resource extraction areas on the wooded slopes of the valley and flood plain