Jasper Tourism & Commerce: The Chamber of Commerce for Jasper, Alberta, Canada

Today, in spite of its highways and railroad, Jasper National Park looks very much like it did when David Thompson, Canada's great fur-trade-era explorer first saw it.

This region has seen many changes in the last two centuries - from sporadic visits by native people to more than 3 million visitors a year. Following is a brief account of the history of Jasper National Park - visit the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum & Archives to find out more!

1810	David Thompson, surveyor, makes first recorded visit to Athabasca Valley.
1813	North West Company builds supply depot on Brule Lake, which becomes known as Jasper House after clerk Jasper Hawes.
1820	Iroquois trader, Pierre Bostonnais, guides Hudson's Bay Company through northern Rockies. His light-coloured hair results in nickname "Tete Jaune" or "Yellowhead."
1845	Father P.J. deSmet, Jesuit missionary, records the name "La riviere maligne," or "wicked river", now known as Maligne River.
1859	The Earl of Southesk, first recorded "tourist", visits what is now Jasper National Park.
1862	The Overlanders, 115 intrepid adventurers, suffer many hardships on their journey through Yellowhead Pass to seek fortunes in B.C. goldfields.
1884	Jasper House abandoned as fur trade declines.
1897	A.E. Snyder, of the North West Mounted Police, makes first patrol from Edmonton
1898	Columbia Icefield discovered.
1907	Dominion Government establishes Jasper Forest Park, setting aside an area of 13,000 km.
1908	Mary Schaffer, widow from Pennsylvania, follows Stoney Indian trails to discover Maligne Lake.
1910	Payments made to settlers forced to leave Athabasca Valley due to formation of Park - with exception of Lewis Swift.
1911	Grand Trunk Pacific Railway reaches Fitzhugh (Jasper) Station.
1911	Interprovincial Boundary Survey started by A.O. Wheeler, takes 14 years to complete. In process many geographical places named.
1913	Present townsite Information Centre is built as the park superintendent's residence.
1914	First school opens in Jasper.
1915	Tent City built at Lac Beauvert during railway construction, eventually becomes Jasper Park Lodge.
1916	Mount Edith Cavell is named to honour heroic British nurse executed during WWI for assisting prisoners of war to escape German-occupied Belgium.
1925	First Ascent of Mount Alberta by Japanese Mountaineers
1928	The Jasper-Edmonton road opens.
1930	Jasper officially established as a national park.

Museum Hours:

Summer:	10 am to 9 pm Every Day Victoria Day to Labour Day
Fall:	10 am to 5 pm Every Day Labour Day to Thanksgiving Day
Winter:	10 am to 5 pm Thursday to Sunday Thanksgiving Day to Victoria Day
#400 Pyramid Lake Road Phone: (780) 852-3013

Check Out the Year of the Great Bear Website at www.yearofthegreatbear.com

For more information visit their website: www.yearofmountains.ca

The United Nations International Year of Mountains has its origins in the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janiero in 1992. During that important world conference, mountain areas were recognized as important planetary water towers and repositories of biodiversity and cultural heritage. The outcome of the Earth Summit was United Nations Agenda 21, a global blueprint for sustainable development into the 21st century. The year 2002 was declared International Year of Mountains with the hope that countries all over the world would promote the conservation and sustainable development of mountain regions and in so doing ensure the well-being of mountain and lowland communities. Canada is making a significant commitment to the celebration of the United Nations International Year of Mountains in 2002. This celebration is being mounted by Parks Canada through its heritage tourism strategy initiative in and around national parks in Western and Northern Canada.