The Not-So-Natural History of Jasper National Park: 2 Centuries of Elk, Wolves, and Wildfires
Commentary Two hundred years ago, scouts of the Hudson’s Bay Company ascended Alberta’s western rivers and set up a fur-trading post on the banks of the Athabasca River in what is today part of Jasper National Park. The park was named after Jasper Hawes, who was the first occupant of the Athabasca post, which became [...]
TL;DR
- Hudson's Bay Company established a fur-trading post in present-day Jasper National Park 200 years ago.
- The park is named after Jasper Hawes, the first occupant of the Athabasca post, known as Jasper House.
- Diaries from the late 1820s indicate very low populations of hoofed animals.
- Year-round hunting by travelers and aboriginal tribes likely caused the scarcity of wildlife.