Rocky Mountain House: National Historic Park

Eric L. Swanick is the New Brunswick Legislative librarian and the
author of Hardiness, Perseverance and Faith: New Brunswick Library
History.

It is the plan of Parks Canada to publish in cooperation with private publishing houses a history/guidebook for each of the national parks. This volume is another fine example of this series. Attractive and well designed, it includes maps, numerous illustrations in both color and black and white, as well as a number of “thumb-nail” sketches, and articles of summation. Each of these is approximately a page in length and each deals with topics of interest such as the voyageurs, David Thompson, and women and the fur trade, among others. Added to this is an introductory chronology, a list of Alberta’s historic sites, references to other national historic parks and major sites in Western Canada, a one-page bibliography, and an index.

The book chronicles three periods of the somewhat checkered history of Rocky Mountain House, a trading post of the North West Company. The defeat of the French in 1760 eventually saw the rise of the North West Company until it merged with its aggressive rival, the Hudson’s Bay Company, in 1821. The first part of the book focuses on this period. The second part covers the period of 1835-61, when the house burned down. The final period, 1865-75, documents its slide and abandonment. Stenson provides interesting accounts of various Indian groups, their alliances and rivalries, and of several personalities such as Jimmy Jack Bird, John Rowand, and J.E. Harriott (the latter two dominated Rocky Mountain House for over thirty years). Explorers such as Thompson and MacKenzie are also included as Stenson captures various highlights and events.

Rocky Mountain House is a readable work. If you visit Rocky Mountain House National Historic Park, I strongly recommend this book. Even if you don’t go, I would still recommend you read it.