British Block Medicine Wheel and Tipi Ring Campsite

The British Block Medicine Wheel and Tipi Ring Campsite is located in the open Prairie of southeastern Alberta. The medicine wheel consists of a central stone cairn that is 10 m in diameter and 2 m high, surrounded by a stone circle measuring 24 m in diameter. Between the central cairn and the surrounding circle is a human figure outlined in stone. In the immediate vicinity are numerous smaller stone circles, or "tipi rings," used by natives to hold down the edges of their lodges.

Medicine Wheels are a broad category that include different kinds of stone structures. The medicine wheel at British Block is only one example. Its size and structure suggest that ritual activities were conducted by relatively large groups. However, the specific ceremonial function of structures such as the British Block is still unknown. Archaeological research indicates that the construction of the British Block Medicine Wheel began between 4000 and 5000 years ago, and that it continued to be used and enlarged intermittently until the early historic period.

At least 51 tipi ring-sized stone circles are associated with the British Block Medicine Wheel. Nineteen of these are clearly arranged in a camp circle with an opening in one area facing to the north. Archaeologists estimate that about 190 individuals lived at this camp, which was used between approximately 3550 and 4250 years ago. The camp circle at the British Block site is the oldest evidence for this kind of setup, which has been used by all historic Plains Indigenous groups.

The British Block Medicine Wheel and Tipi Ring Campsite was declared a National Historic Site in 1973.