“…To my mind, the name of Medicine Hat has an advantage over (other cities with similarly unique names). Fatt, the editor of the Medicine Hat News. Kipling responded by advocating the old name in a letter written to Francis F. A number of old-school Hatters, however, strongly opposed this proposal and entreated the support of Rudyard Kipling, the famous English writer who had a special place in his heart for Medicine Hat. These disgruntled citizens believed that industries might be attracted to a city with a more conventional name like Gasburg (which would reflect the city’s newfound natural gas) or Smithville (in honour of the C.P.R. In fact, some early Hatters- as Medicine Hat residents are sometimes called – considered the name to be so bizarre that in 1910, when natural gas was discovered in the area, they petitioned to change it. As is the case with most things that deviate from the norm, Medicine Hat’s name wasn’t always unanimously accepted.
Research by paleontologists and archeologists continues in these parks, while their stewards try to balance the obligations of caring for these unique sites.Although Medicine Hat has spent time in the Canadian spotlight for a number of different reasons, perhaps its true and most timeless claim to fame is its strange name. However, visitor access to both Dinosaur Provincial Park and Writing-on-Stone archeological site is controlled and monitored to prevent unnecessary erosion and other environmental impacts ( see also Conservation ). Today, the culturally and scientifically significant badlands of southern Alberta draw thousands of visitors every year. The French, who were among the earliest explorers in the interior of western North America, described such places as mauvaises terres à traverser, meaning “bad lands to cross.” This is the source of the English term badlands. Writing-on-Stone archeological site, which the Siksika call Áísínai'pi, is a traditional sacred site containing many pieces of rock art of great spiritual significance. The southern Alberta badlands lie within the traditional territory of the Siksika (Blackfoot) people. This frequently leads to the formation of sinkholes and slope failure (e.g., mudslides).
Surface erosion is often accompanied by extensive subsurface piping (tunnel erosion) related to existing fractures in the rock.
Rapid runoff caused by heavy storms quickly cuts rills (shallow channels) and gullies in the barren, clay-rich rocks, producing rates of erosion of several millimetres per year. They tend to occur in arid or semi-arid regions, where rain often falls in short, torrential thunderstorms. Geographyīadlands form where weak, relatively unconsolidated (loose) sedimentary rocks such as shale, siltstone and poorly cemented sandstone are exposed to vigorous erosion processes. The 7,825 ha park was designated a United Nations World Heritage Site in 1979, partly on the basis of its spectacular badlands, which are the largest in Canada. They flank the river for 300 km, culminating in their most impressive display in Dinosaur Provincial Park, where world-famous dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Badlands are particularly prevalent along the river valleys of southern Alberta, especially along the Red Deer River.