81st Plains Conference
Lethbridge, Alberta
October 16-20, 2024

Welcome Message

Oki! We are excited to invite you to the 81st Annual Plains Anthropological Society Conference, which will be held in Lethbridge, Alberta in Canada. You will be staying in the ancestral homelands of the Blackfoot / Siksikaitsitapi. Lethbridge is located about an hour north of the Montana border, on the prairies east of the Rocky Mountains. The city straddles a beautiful river valley with the world’s longest and highest trestle bridge connecting the two sides of the city.

Lethbridge is a cultural hub in southern Alberta, with a thriving arts and heritage community. Home to 100,000 people, there are two post-secondary institutions and numerous museums and galleries, including the Sir Alexander Galt Museum and the Fort Whoop-Up Interpretive Centre. The city is also home to the world-famous Nikku Yukko Japanese Gardens, a monument to Japanese-Canadian friendship, honoring Japanese contributions to the region.

We wanted to provide some basic information to help you plan your trip as well as new portals to register and submit abstracts. You may contact the organizers, Shawn Bubel, Kevin McGeough, and Bob Dawe at conference@plainsanthropologicalsociety.org with questions. However, please note that the organizers are currently in the field and will do their best to respond as soon as they are able, but it may not be until the end of June. 

 

Getting to Lethbridge

By Land

Traveling to Lethbridge via land from the United States is relatively straightforward but will involve a border crossing. While there are many border crossing points, their hours of operation are highly variable and so we recommend checking in advance of your expected arrival. Crossing at Sweetgrass-Coutts on the Montana-Alberta border is usually straightforward, regardless of weather conditions. Once you cross the border, you will get to Lethbridge via Highway 4. For more on specifics of travel to Lethbridge, or other routes, visit: https://tourismlethbridge.com/transportation

By Air

While Lethbridge is home to a small airport, we recommend that those flying to the conference arrive at Calgary International Airport (YYC), where they will clear customs and immigrations, and proceed to Lethbridge by rental car, bus, or our organized tour. Alternatively, Great Falls International Airport (GTF) is about a three-hour drive from Lethbridge. You will just need to ensure that you are permitted to take your rental car across the international border.

For those not wanting to rent a car, there are two bus services that can deliver you to Lethbridge.

There is a Red Arrow bus that departs the Calgary airport to Lethbridge at 5:00 pm Mondays-Thursdays. Return trips on Saturday or Sunday depart at 8:15 am and 8:30 am respectively, arriving at 11:55 am or 12:10 pm. International travelers should allow themselves at least two hours to clear customs and security in Calgary. To book transit and check for more up-to-date schedules, visit: https://www.redarrow.ca

Another option is Flixbus, which has just started operation in southern Alberta. There are many more Calgary-Lethbridge departures than Red Arrow, and the price is less. But Flixbus, at the time that we are writing this, does not offer a direct airport departure. These buses leave from the downtown Calgary bus terminal. During rush hour, you may need to allow yourself up to an hour to get downtown, and taxi fare will be around $100 Canadian. Their website is: https://www.flixbus.ca

 

Accommodations

Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

The conference will be held at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge, located at 320 Scenic Drive South. We have reserved space for conference attendees, but please book early before the space sells out. The hotel overlooks the river valley and bridge, right beside the Sir Alexander Galt Museum and is a short walk from Fort Whoop Up. It is also in the heart of downtown, located within walking distance of numerous restaurants and bars. The conference rate is $139 (CAD, you can select the currency in the booking page to see the USD price). The room block will be held until September 16, or until full. 

Book a room directly with this link:
https://reservations.sandmanhotels.com/113172?groupID=4072967

Alternatively, you can call their 24-hour Central Reservations office at 1-800-726-3626 / 1-800-SANDMAN.

In order to receive the correct rates, callers must reference:

  • Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge
  • Group Name: 2024 Plains Archeological Conference
  • Block ID: 325489
  • Block code: ARCCON2024

Please note that there are TWO hotels named Sandman in Lethbridge. If you do not register through our link, make sure you are booking the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge, located at 320 Scenic Drive South.

Calgary Accommodations

We have arranged for a discounted rate at the Hampton, Calgary airport north for those flying into Calgary for the conference. This link will take you to a booking interface where you’ll see our special $135 rate. Just select the dates you need and complete your booking. They have a complementary shuttle to and from the airport.
We will arrange for the Tuesday field trip bus to pick you up at this hotel so you don't have to make your way back to the airport on that morning. And the free breakfast starts at 6:00 am so you’ll be able to enjoy it before the field trip adventure begins!

https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=YYCAPHX&flexibleDates=true&roomTypeCode=NKR,NQRU,NKRU,NQRUJ,NQRUAJ,NKRQD&srpCodes=LHHLPA

 

Field Trips

One of the highlights of this Annual Meeting will be the field trips! We will be visiting some of the most amazing sites on the Plains. Given how much there is to see in southern Alberta, we have tried to create itineraries that will provide the best overview of Alberta’s heritage, ranging from the Ice Age to the present. The longer you can stay, the more you will be able to see.

Notes for spouse/significant others: We are aware that tours will be popular and you may be planning the trip with your significant other. You will be able to add a plus one to your tour(s) and banquet at registration without having that person also need to register for the whole meeting. However, if your plus one does come to other meeting events they will need to register for the entire meeting.

Itinerary Options

We will do our best to hold the field trips despite the highly variable weather conditions of southern Alberta in the fall. Check the forecasts before you travel, but it is possible that we will be walking in extreme cold or heat or in exceptionally dry, rainy, or snowy conditions. Tour itineraries are subject to change without notice. You will be able to sign up for individual Field Trips.

Field Trip 1: Tuesday (October 15): Pre-Conference, full day field trip

Itinerary: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Wally’s Beach, and the Crowsnest Pass
This full day trip will run the day before the conference begins. The centerpiece of the trip will be a visit to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, and its interpretive centre. We will visit the Junction Site in nearby Fort Macleod and then continue on to the Crowsnest Pass in the Rocky Mountains, stopping to admire the Lundbreck waterfalls. We will visit the site of Frank Slide, a 110 million tonne rockslide off of Turtle Mountain that buried much of the community in 1903. We will stop at the Leitch Collieries, now abandoned but one of the most important coal mining sites of the early twentieth century. We will also visit Wally’s Beach, where some of the oldest remains from Alberta’s heritage have been recovered.
Those flying to Alberta who want to participate in the pre-conference field trip should plan to arrive in Calgary on Monday evening and stay over at one of the hotels near the airport. Those traveling by car should arrive in Lethbridge on Monday night Depending on how you plan to arrive, you should select one of the following options:
Option 1A: This tour is designed to get those flying into Calgary down to Lethbridge. Pick up in Calgary (at the airport hotel area) at 7:00 am. Stop at the Okotoks erratic on the way to Fort Macleod to join the others Includes lunch.
Option 1B: Depart Lethbridge at 9:30 am. Meet the other bus coming from Calgary at Fort Macleod at 10:0 am. Includes lunch.

Field Trip 2: Wednesday (October 16): Writing-on-Stone / Aísínai’pi UNESCO World Heritage Site full day field trip

On the morning of Wednesday, October 19, we will depart from the hotel at 9:00 am for a full day field trip, arriving back in Lethbridge in time for the Early Bird reception. We will travel east of Lethbridge to visit some of the major First Nations sites in the region, possibly including Cranford (the site of numerous tipi rings), Fincastle (a bison kill site in a parabolic sand dune), and the Fletcher site (a Paleoindian bison and game kill site). The highlight of this tour is Writing-on-Stone/ Aísínai’pi UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the most remarkable locations in the province. Includes lunch.

Field Trip 3: Saturday (October 19): Historical Archaeological Tour

Southern Alberta is rich in historical archaeological heritage. We are home to Northwest Mounted Police Outposts (the Mounties), whiskey forts, ghost towns, abandoned coal mines, early industrial sites, and pioneer homesteads. Join us for afternoon tour of some of the (weather dependent) highlights of the archaeology of the past few hundred years.

Field Trip 4: Sunday (October 20): Post-conference Travel back to Calgary

A bus will depart from Lethbridge at 8:00 am to visit Sundial Medicine Wheel. We will plan to arrive at the Calgary airport around 2:00 pm, and so international travelers should plan flights that depart no earlier than 4:00 pm. Those with their own vehicle can follow the bus, visiting Sundial Medicine Wheel and Blackfoot Crossing and travel home on their own from there.

Thursday Night Canadiana Optional Experiences

We are still working out the details but stay tuned for your choice of “Canadiana Experiences” for Thursday night!

Other Exciting Lethbridge Experiences:

There are many other exciting places to see in Lethbridge. Fort Whoop-Up, the river valley, and the Nikko Yukko Japanese Gardens are a few of the great options that we suggest you make time to visit.

 

Merch

T-Shirts $25

Designed to match our national colours, the red background and white conference logo will make you look at home in any hockey arena, no matter who you are cheering for!

Toques (Or in American English “Beanies”) $25

You’re coming to Canada, eh, so you need to have the costume! We call these kinds of hats “toques” and they’re a necessary part of life here when the wind chill can freeze your ears within minutes.

Hats $40

For those of you who aren’t worried about your ears freezing but still want to dress like a proper Southern Albertan, we’ve designed a cap that can match your faded jeans and beat up cowboy boots.

 

Registration

Conference registration is currently open even if it looks a little different this year. Registrants will be able to signup for each field trip, purchase conference registrations, banquet tickets, and merchandise through this Conference Registration Google Form.

 

Call for Papers

PAS invites proposals for papers, posters, and sessions to be given at the 81st Annual Plains Conference. Proposals should be submitted through the Abstract Submission Google Form. Symposia proposals should include a title, abstract of 100-200 words, and list of presenters/chairs.

Symposia Deadline: September 20, 2024
Deadline for Papers/Posters (including lightning round): September 27, 2024

Lightning Round:

At this year’s Plains Conference, we are holding a special “Lightning Round” session. Presenters have FIVE minutes to speak to the audience on a topic of their choosing related to Plains anthropology. The catch? Presenters must follow strict rules, and the time limit will be aggressively enforced! Each presenter must submit a PowerPoint presentation beforehand with exactly 15 slides. Once the moderator says “go”, the slides will automatically advance every 20 seconds. There are no pauses, no restarts, and no time extensions. The frantic pace of the presentations makes for an exciting and fun-filled event! Whether this is your first PAS conference or your eighty-first, all are encouraged to participate!

 

Aboot Canada

Given the geographic interests of the Plains Anthropological Society, many of you will be well versed in Canadian culture. Still, we thought a brief socio-cultural primer might be of assistance or interest.

When you think of Canadian English, you probably expect to hear us say “eh” a lot, and perhaps we say it more when speaking to Americans. There are, however, distinct rules for how “eh” is used, and if you want to try speaking like a local, you’ll need to use it properly. The rule of thumb is to treat it like punctuation. It is used to prompt a response when speaking. But, we don’t actually want a long response, we just want someone to say “yes”, “uhuh”, or agree with what we are saying. We are trying to be inclusive in a conversation and help someone participate in the dialogue. A good phrase to practice with is, “Oh, it's too bad about the Toronto Maple Leafs, eh?” We also say “sorry” a lot, but that’s easier to pick up. And remember to pronounce about as “aboot”.

Speaking of hockey, Alberta has two teams, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. The two sets of fans hate each other with a passion rivalling Yankees-Red Sox rivalries. There are also significant numbers of Toronto Maple Leafs fans here, but everyone just feels sorry for them. If you are an American, who knows about hockey, we will probably be happy no matter who you cheer for. But, if you want a safe team to pretend to cheer for, choose the Montreal Canadians. In Alberta, this won’t upset anyone, but will make you seem like a hockey insider.

A few things you should be aware of as you cross the border. Don’t bring your guns. Even in Alberta this will be a problem, but especially crossing the border, where you will be stopped. Cannabis is legal here, but it cannot cross borders. So, you shouldn’t bring any with you and if you buy any up here, you’ll have to use it all here. Alcohol here is very expensive with taxes, although our craft beer scene is the best in the world. You may want to plan to bring your bourbon but buy your beer here (unless you want to buy a flat of rock-bottom cheap Olympia as you drive through Montana). The drinking age in Alberta is 18, so that may entice some of your college students to come to the conference (but you might not want to tell them this…).

Canadian coffee culture is distinct and noteworthy. We are a country divided between two franchises, Starbucks and our Canadian Tim Horton’s (named after a hockey player who famously had the franchise stolen away from him). Both sides of this divide claim that the other franchise over-roasts its coffee. In any case, our Canadian franchise, Tim Horton’s is famous for appealing to those who like lots of cream and sugar in their coffee. The “local” way to order is to ask for a “double-double”, which has double the cream and double the sugar. Ordering a double-double and a “Maple Donut” will give you a quintessentially Canadian experience. There is a Tim Horton’s within walking distance of the hotel (and really, there is one within walking distance of anywhere in any Canadian city).

Other food issues to be aware of. We don’t have “Canadian Bacon” in the west and don’t know what it is. When Canadians use the word “barbecue”, they mean “grilling”. If they are using it as a noun, they mean “a grill”. And if someone claims to make southern-style barbecue (or any southern-style cuisine), be suspicious. However, our steaks are really good here. Just order a rib eye and not the brisket. What you should try here is poutine, the closest thing to a national dish. This is a Quebecois delicacy that has become a national staple. It’s simple, French fries with gravy and cheese curds, delicious and a heart attack in a cup. Now it has become trendy to add various other elements to it, but this is the foundational dish. It is the cheese curds that were the Quebecois innovation, since Canadians put gravy on everything. You’ll be asked all the time at restaurants if you want a side of gravy, and it will always be brown gravy (sometimes its vegan), but never white gravy.

Generally, things are more expensive here, although with the exchange rate, that shouldn’t impact American visitors here (and they won’t notice the expense in restaurants). One much cheaper item, however, is maple syrup. If you have a Costco card and drive here, you can go stock up. Our candy bars (called “chocolate bars” here) are different, and often once Americans are introduced to them, they can’t ever go back. Similarly, our potato chips here have quite a few more flavours (not flavors), and Americans often really like Ketchup and Dill Pickle.

While we use the metric system for many things in Canada, it isn’t used as consistently as one might imagine. People here still think in terms of feet and inches for height, pounds in terms of their own weight. But we will order food in grams, discuss temperature in Celsius, and our speeding limits are posted in kilometers per hour. In stores, you may be confusingly asked “do you have Miles?”. Often our loyalty programs use the word miles in their names, and this is what is being asked.

Given that it will be October during the conference, you may need to bring a hat for warmth. In Canada, we call woolen hats or caps, especially the ones with pom-poms on the tops, “toques” (pronounced tuke, like Luke). If you call this a hat, the Canadians will be confused. We are used to the cold here, so don’t be surprised if you see people wearing shorts and flip flops in the snow, but maybe don’t follow their lead. You will also see lots of flannel, but the Canadian tuxedo (jean jacket and matching jeans) is no longer common.