Culturing Wilderness in Jasper Park: Studies in Two Centuries of Human History in the Upper Athabasca River Watershed.

Frits Pannekoek is an associate professor of heritage studies, director
of information resources at the University of Calgary, and the author of
A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance of
1869–70.

Professor MacLaren has done a superb job of pulling together the latest thinking on the history of areas designated as wilderness by their geography and public policy, in this case Jasper National Park. The book consists of nine essays arranged, for the most part, in topical and chronological order. They deal with the fur trade, government, tourism, the railway, and the traveller. The first essay, by Michael Payne, which deals with the fur trade on the Upper Athabasca river from 1810 to 1910, suggests that perhaps overzealous attention by National Historic Sites have awarded some of the associated fur trade sites in Jasper National Park a status beyond what might have normally merited. While Payne deals admirably with Aboriginal people, he does not interpret the fur trade or the environment from their perspective. The total absence of an analysis of the real and spiritual interaction of Aboriginal people with the northern wilderness is a serious oversight.

Other essays include ones by Ian Maclaren on Henry James Warre and Paul Kane’s sketches of the region, by Peter Murphy on the history of the boundaries of the park, and C.J. Taylor and Gabrielle Zezulka-Mailloux’s separate pieces on the tourism industry. The other essay by Peter Murphy, on homesteading in the parks, is worth reading, if only to better understand the Métis presence there. I particularly like Eric Higgs’ essay on understanding ecological evolution and restoration in Jasper National park. His dogged attempt to marry history, culture, and ecology will ultimately pay off in a real understanding of the forces that shaped Jasper’s current ecology. He understands that Jasper never was and will never be a “pure” wilderness. It is a product of humankind, their culture and their understanding of themselves in their surroundings. If I were to recommend one book on Jasper — this would be it.