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A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Alberta is enjoying a recent uptick in interest spurred by a shout out on a popular American television show — and its head of marketing hopes that curiosity translates into a bustling summer season.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was mentioned in a recent episode of the Golden Globe-winning TV medical drama The Pitt.
In it, Dr. Michael (Robby) Robinavitch, played by actor Noah Wyle, announces he’s going on sabbatical to the landmark in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
“I’ve never seen the badlands,” he says in the episode that aired Jan. 8.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is about 150 kilometres south of Calgary. It was used for thousands of years by Indigenous people to channel bison herds and send the animals stampeding over an 11-metre-high cliff to be killed and harvested.
The interpretive centre of cascading floors built into the sandstone cliff explores Blackfoot culture, local ecology and archaeological finds, and leads visitors to a cliff top trail.
Quinton Crow Shoe, who leads marketing at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, said staff are hearing some visitors say the show triggered their curiosity.
“As a result of that mention, they decided to take the trek off the beaten path,” he said in an interview.
With the show, he said their social media and email inboxes lit up.
“I didn’t realize the magnitude of that show. And the mention itself brings a lot of awareness and curiosity,” Crow Shoe said. “So, we appreciate it, and we’re having some fun with it.”
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was designated a World Heritage Site in 1981. It sees about 60,000 visitors a year.
Crow Shoe said the buzz around the buffalo jump isn’t fading away, and he hopes the modest bump in recent interest translates into an increase in crowds and motor coach tours once the peak season hits, from about May through to September.
Other promotions, such as discounts through the national Canada Strong Pass, have also had a positive effect on the gate, he said.
Crow Shoe noted that Head-Smashed-In is part of a cluster of attractions in southern Alberta — from Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park in the badlands to Waterton Lakes National Park where the mountains begin — that draw visitors to explore as much of the area as possible.
“We always look at being successful in terms of supporting one another,” he said.
Provincial marketing agency Travel Alberta took advantage by releasing a promotional video with the TV show’s characters superimposed on the background of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump’s cliffs.
And Alberta Culture Minister Tanya Fir posted the TV clip to social media, adding, “Dr. Robby is Alberta bound!”
“We are proud to see how Alberta’s history, stories and cultural landmarks continue to leave a lasting impression on audiences around the world,” Fir wrote.
