From Deseret News archives:
Jasper — Canadian national park turns 100
As it did in so many other places, the railroad changed all that — or maybe we should say the railroad and the area's own natural beauty. In those early days of passenger travel, the railroad promoted itself by creating destination parks for visitors. The government would set aside the land, and the railroads would build lodges — and the people would come to visit.
Railroad survey crews had been working in the upper Athabaska Valley since the late 1880s as part of a proposal by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway to build Canada's second transcontinental railroad — a line that would run from New Brunswick to British Columbia and would cross the Rockies at Yellowhead Pass.
In 1885, the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad's line had brought attention and prosperity to parks created at Banff and Yoho, so the government began looking for a similar project farther north.
On Sept. 14, 1907, Canadian Minister of the Interior Frank Oliver signed Jasper Forest Park into being. It became Canada's fifth national park — and its largest, covering an area of more than 4,200 square miles. The name came from a mountain man named Jasper Hawse, who had operated a fur-trading post for the Northwest Company in the early 1800s.
The railroad finally reached what is now the town of Jasper in 1911, and visitors came right behind it.
All year Jasper National Park has been celebrating its centennial, ever since kicking things off with a Snow-Ball in February. Ongoing summer activities have called attention to the history, culture, wildlife and other aspects of the park environment.
They will wrap things up with a big shebang the weekend of Sept. 14, with re-enactments, birthday cake, an art show, golf tournament, cultural activities presented by aboriginal groups, a chance to meet-and-greet national park personnel and much more, says Gloria Brady, director of tourism and marketing for the national park.
It will be one fine celebration, she says. "We're unusual as a national park in that we have a community within the park, so we have a lot of partners to help with the celebration." Groups such as the Jasper Municipality, Friends of Jasper and the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives are sponsoring centennial events, some of which will continue through the rest of the year.
