Local Calendar of Events l Jasper's History

Click to Enlarge

Our mountainous park, a landscape carved from glacial retreat and inhabited by many species of wildlife, has a long history of settlers. Evidence dating back 12 000 years ago reveals that native people have been living and surviving in the area. It wasn't until the 19th century that fur traders from Eastern Canada came west looking for passes through the Rocky Mountains to access fur in British Columbia.

Demand for fur prompted the need for surveyors and mapmakers to explore the area and consequently name many of the features such as mountains and lakes. Adventurers and climbers alike followed with ambitions of ascending some of these newly discovered peaks.

Uniting Canada through a cross-country railway in the early 20th century brought both the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway into the Athabasca Valley. At this time, 1907, the federal government decided to create Jasper Forest Park with an area of 13 000 square kilometers. Construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway arrived at Fitzhugh Station in 1911 establishing a small community. However in 1913, Mr. Fitzhugh, vice president of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and whom the town was named after, resigned. The town became Jasper, recalling a local 19th century supply depot operated by a clerk named Jasper Hawes.

1930 marked a significant change with the passing of the National Parks Act. The Forest Park officially became Jasper National Park with an area of 10 000 square kilometers. The rest of the decade ushered in a new era of tourism with the construction of roads and facilities such as Miette Hot Springs. Local businessmen started to build and promote the downhill ski industry. 1937 marked the completion of an all season road to Edmonton and the Icefields Parkway to Banff opened in 1940. With Jasper now easier to access, accommodations, restaurants, and tour operators began to open and help make Jasper the international tourist destination it is today.