JASPER NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 324

upon us the finest view any of us have ever beheld in the Rockies.” In 1915, Mary
married Billy Warren, continuing to explore the mountains until her death in 1939.
Her successes as a photographer, artist, and writer were equal to any of her male
counterparts, but she is best remembered for her unwavering love of the Canadian
Rockies—her “heaven of the hills.”
Mining and a Link to the Outside World
In 1908, Jasper Park Collieries staked claims in the park. By the time the railway came
through in 1911, mining activity was centered at Pocahontas (near the park's east gate),
where a township was established and thrived. During an extended miners' strike, the men
spent their spare time constructing log pools at Miette Hot Springs, which were heavily
promoted to early park visitors. The mine closed in 1921, and many families relocated to
Jasper, which had grown from a railway camp into a popular tourist destination. By this
time the park boundaries had changed dramatically. In 1911, the park had been reduced to
two-thirds its original size, then in 1914 enlarged to include Maligne Lake and Columbia
Icefield, then enlarged yet again in 1928 to take in Sunwapta Pass. Today's borders were
set in 1930, when Jasper was officially designated a national park.
And what of Old Swift? Well, after working as the park's first game warden, he hung
onto his land until 1935. The government of the day made various offers, but Swift ended
up selling to a wealthy Englishman who operated a dude ranch on the site until finally
selling the land to the government in 1962.
Jasper Grows
In 1911, a construction camp was established for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway near the
present site of downtown Jasper. When the northern line was completed, visitors flocked
into the remote mountain settlement, and its future was assured. The first accommodation
for tourists was 10 tents on the shore of Lac Beauvert that became known as Tent City. In
1921, the tents were replaced and the original Jasper Park Lodge was constructed. By the
summer of 1928, a road was completed between Edmonton and Jasper, and a golf course
was built. As the number of tourists to the park continued to increase, existing facilities
were expanded. In 1940 the Icefields Parkway was completed, linking Jasper to Banff and
making the park more accessible.