In a time when the buffalo was the provider of all things to the inhabitants of this land of flat prairie and gently rolling hills, the sheer cliffs along the valley provided that most efficient of killing fields - the buffalo jump. That and the water and shelter attracted the first "settlement" of the area. For over a thousand years the river provided a central element of an enduring and, by comparative world standards of the time, highly successful lifestyle. Yet , according to the evidence of modern archeologists, this particular stretch of river was more hunting grounds than "permanent" or extended campsite. Even then the steep cliffs and deep valley may have been something of an inconvenience. More extensive campsites are currently being excavated upstream where the wide sloping valley makes a riverside home more convenient.

And yet when the first European settlers began to arrive around 1880, they too were drawn to the riverside. One of the first agricultural settlements in the area was Langvale along the east side of the river just downstream from the "Bend".

Water and wood meant comfort and convenience, and the river valley held the only ready supply of both. The prairie uplands were generally stripped of vegetation regularly by fire and trees only took hold near water. These days living on a river bank can be quite an inconvenience. Bridges are expensive and none span the Souris between the McKellar Bridge near Margaret and the bridge over Highway #2 at Wawanasa. If you live on one side, it's quite a drive to visit your neighbor who lives just across the valley. The pioneers knew the shallow spots and except in the high water months of April and May could cross at will. You don't want to try it with a pickup truck though, even with four wheel drive!

While the riverside locations provided water and wood, those that settled in the river valley soon found the the flat uplands were easier to till and provided better crops. With the arrival of the railways and the automobile, locations that once were on the beaten track suddenly were distinctly off of it. The result is that today much of the area has found a more natural purpose. And even though the river valley does pass by a few farms and building after leaving the wildlife management area, it retains a wilderness feel as most of the signs of habitation are out of site from the river hidden by the steepness of the escarpment.