Jasper National Park gift shops have offered all sorts of scenic postcards throughout the ages. In the 1960s, one of the items hanging from the gift shop racks was this “6 Scenic Views - Jasper Canadian Rockies” postcard set (from my personal collection).

The 6 scenic views in this Jasper National Park postcard set:

1. Maligne Lake - Spirit Island close-up
2. Mount Robson - through the trees and overlooking Berg Lake
3. Jasper Park Lodge - aerial view
4. Athabaska River - with mountain goats at water’s edge
5. Maligne Lake - Spirit Island from far away
6. Mount Edith Cavell - the scenic 11,000 ft high mountain

The photo credits read “Canadian National Railways” except for the photo of Mount Robson, which is credited to award-winning photographer and local legend Bruno Engler. I’ve mentioned Bruno Engler in regards to another vintage Jasper postcard in the past.

The publisher of this postcard had to pick the 6 best scenic photos to fit the limitations of the type of product being sold - a 6 photo postcard set. Picking the 6 best Jasper park scenes is a difficult task. Jasper National Park seems to emit great scenery from wherever one stands.

If I were to create a Jasper National Park postcard set today, I would remove one of the Maligne Lake photos. I’d instead include a picture of the Athabasca Glacier or one of the other glaciers.

The glaciers have been regarded for their beauty since the early days of the park.

The Jasper Tramway also offers an excellent source of scenic views.

I’d replace the Jasper Park Lodge aerial photo with a panoramic photo from the top of the Whistler’s Mountain - after riding the Jasper Tramway up the mountain.

From the top of Whistler’s Mountain, everywhere you look is wonderful, nature scenery. After all, Jasper’s most recent slogan is “Jasper. Wonderful by nature.”

The first minute and a half of this short 1969 home movie shows an interesting and raw glimpse into the way Jasper National Park was - from the perspective of a 1969 traveler.

• Big 60s American cars parked on Connaught Drive in the town of Jasper at the center of Jasper National Park…then a Volkswagon Bus drives by
• A mule deer or elk stands in a field and then bighorn sheep walk amongst tourists and campers.
• The Ranger Station looks like it does today - though it now serves as the Jasper Information Center and houses a gift shop
• The Athabasca Hotel looks like it did when the current building opened in 1928. Though modernized, it still maintains its charm today. I imagine the traveler stayed here.
• The Jasper Firehall building is still there today but now functions as the Jasper Artists Guild….right near the park information center. A new firehall building was recently opened elsewhere in town.

The second half of the video covers a trip to Yellowstone National Park, a place I just visited and whose relation to Jasper National park I will explore further in upcoming articles.

I first heard of the Top Secret ice boat from a tour guide as I rode up the Jasper Tramway. He explained about how an aircraft carrier made of ice was being developed during World War II. The beautiful and innocent Patricia Lake was home to this experimental ice boat project.

The Jasper Booster (Jasper’s excellent town newspaper) reports of a new fame for the secret ice boat. Pictures of the ice boat will appear on 1,500 U-Haul trucks as a way to commemorate this unique part of 1940s Alberta, Canada history. Read the article online on JasperBooster.com here.

Jasper Booster also provides a more detailed history of the ice boat project here.

This 1960s era postcard of the Athabasca Glacier comes from my collection of Jasper National Park stuff. But this is no ordinary souvenir postcard. There is a story to it that should be told.

This postcard reveals a different Jasper National Park era and a time when Mountain Men still wandered the area. The front reads “Athabaska Glacier, Alberta, Canada - Photo: Bruno Engler”.

It turns out that Bruno Engler (1915-2001) was an accomplished, award-winning photographer who had come to Canada in 1939 and then spent 60 years photographing and enjoying the delights of the Canadian Rockies. The Town of Banff (just south of Jasper National Park) considers Bruno Engler as a local legend and has a web page about him here. Bruno is described as “ski instructor and coach, climber, mountain guide, actor, cameraman, photographer, as well as one of the Canadian Rockies’ great story-tellers and enduring characters.” He was a Mountain Man.

Bruno Engler received the inaugural Summit of Excellence Award in 1986 “representing the highest of honours from his peers in the mountain community for his contributions to Canadian Rockies culture and for his enthusiasm and dedication to photography, guiding, and skiing.”

Bruno’s unique abilities are why photos like these are so unique. I imagine Bruno hanging in the air alongside the pictured adventurer while trying to frame the perfect shot.

The back of the postcard reads “Rappeling High Over the Athabaska Glacier: The great ice tongue of this glacier issues from the Columbia Icefield in three great icefalls. On the right is Dome Glacier which is formed by ice that tumbles over the cliff to be reconstituted as a solid ice mass below. This is on the Icefield Highway, in the south end of Jasper Nation Park, Alberta, Canada.” The red stamp depicting a big horn sheep reads “From the Roof of the Canadian Rockies.”

The postcard photo reveals a time when fashions were different. Look close. The man rappelling wears checkered knee socks. He hangs from a mountain with only a rope holding him in the air.

Down below is the Icefield Center building. I looked really close at the postcard and could only count about 20 cars at the visitor center on this beautiful blue sky day. The parking lot has since been expanded and on a typical summer day is full of cars, RVs and a handful of tour buses.

The biggest difference in this photo from the 1960s in contrast with 2008 is the Athabasca Glacier itself. The photo shows the Athabasca Glacier protruding much further from the Columbia Icefield than it protrudes today. The glacier has been receding each year as summer melting exceeds the rate of winter snow accumulation. What will be of the Athabasca Glacier in 100 years from now? Will it still exist?

Interesting postcard.  One can imagine a 1960s Jasper National Park traveler purchased it while inside the Icefield Center gift shop.  Then it sat in storage for many years until I acquired it.  And now, here it is on Jasper National Park Journal for the whole world to see.

Imagine playing a game of golf on a course surrounded by Canadian Rockies mountains. You’re having a great game. Then, to your surprise, the next hole is blocked by 3 black bears.

This historic Jasper National Park scene depicts a similar event. These black bears had lost their natural fear of humans and were playing on the golf course.

In the era of this vintage postcard (part of a vintage Jasper National Park postcard folder mentioned previously), black bears were tamed by regular feedings by tourists. Not so today. Modern bear management strategies try to restrict close contact with humans for the safety of both the black bear and the humans.

A recent Parks Canada brochure I picked up at the park information booth points out the importance of giving bears some space. Now more than ever, bears rely on the habitat of national parks but they are becoming obstacle courses for the bears who must navigate around towns, campgrounds, roads, railways and trails to find food. It says that the best thing visitors can do for bears is to limit exposure. Bears that become habituated to humans are more likely to suffer from human caused deaths.

One of the pictures in my vintage c. 1940 Jasper National Park postcard folder (introduced here) shows the famous Jasper Park Lodge golf course.

The historic picture depicts the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge golf course in the foreground, Lake Beauvert at right and Pyramid Mountain in the background.

To see a contrast, pictured below is a modern photo of this scene on the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge website gallery.  Is it me or all of the same tall trees in both pictures?  Could be.

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge golf course often makes it to the top of the list from various people and organizations who rate the top golf resorts in Canada, North America and the world.

Learn more about the golf course on Fairmont’s website who says this of their course:

• “It’s hard to imagine a course that hugs snow-capped mountains, meanders past glacial-fed lakes and through a wildlife corridor featuring elk, caribou, bears and wolves.”

For an honest and thorough review in terms of the merits of golfing at the Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course, read this review on GolfClubAtlas.com.  It has lots of great pictures of the course.

A vintage Jasper National Park souvenir postcard folder that offers a glimpse into the park’s history is now a part of my collection. I couldn’t resist owning a piece of Jasper National Park history. The postcard folder contains 22 pictures that tell an important story about Jasper. Let’s look at it more to try to dissect some of the 101 year history of Jasper as a National Park.

The postcard folder was likely printed in the early 1940s, possibly the late 1930s. Since Jasper is only 100 years old, this postcard represents an early part of the park’s history when most of the park was still unexplored. This was a time before man-made attractions like the Jasper Tramway or the glacier Snowcoach rides.

On the outside of the postcard folder is a picture of one of Jasper’s famous mountains, Mt Edith Cavell, and a place to put a stamp. The title reads as “Canadian Rockies, Jasper Park on the Canadian National Railway”. The stamp box reads “Postage, one cent without message, printed matter”.

On the other side is an old Mt Robson, Elevation 13700, sign with bears on it, a sign that has been since replaced with a less cool one. Then there’s a “Greetings from…” spot to write the sender’s name - where I digitally added my name.

The postcard book opens up to reveal 20 more pictures and a description of Jasper National Park. I’ve photographed and scanned all aspects of the postcard and then did some color correction to bring out the colors. The result is a set of great vintage Jasper National Park pictures that will be added to Jasper Journal soon.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I’ll look more at these pictures.

Some call it Jasper Townsite, others call it Jasper Village. Either way, there’s lots to do in the small community in the center of Jasper National Park.

While the point of visiting Jasper National Park is getting out and experiencing nature, the village has a lot to do between outings or in the evenings - and many of the hotels are in this area of the park.

1. Jasper Information Center - This is the place to get oriented. Ask the park staff about the best places to hike based on current trail conditions and your hiking level. There’s a ton of brochures and maps here for all of the park’s attractions.

2. Jasper Yellowhead Museum - Get a sense of the human history of Jasper National Park. This small museum is the only one in Jasper townsite. An assortment of displays show a pictorial history of the park as well as historical artifacts. To get the most out of it, spend some time reading the stories at each display. You’ll really come away with a better understanding of the park and its unique history.

3. Rent a bike - Check out Freewheel Cycle on Patricia Street. Ride around Jasper and plan a ride on some of the bike trails connected to the townsite area.

4. Get some chow - Jasper townsite has a wide selection of dining. There are several independent restaurants as well as hotel restaurants. Choose from home-style dining to pizza to seafood.

5. Train Station - See an old train. Watch the occasional CN freight train or one of the tourist trains pass by. Browse inside the train station.

6. Shopping - Now is a good time to stock up on hiking snacks and water. The townsite has some clothing stores and specialty shops. The tourist shops seem to all be selling the exact same stuff though.

7. Ice cream - Who can resist a little ice cream while on vacation? Jasper has a few places to get ice cream.

8. Plan an adventure - Booking in advance is better, but if you’re in Jasper and have some time, stop into a few of the tour planning offices in town. There are many types of tour and adventure packages available including: canoe, white water rafting, wilderness nature tours, hiking, backpacking, helicopter tours, and trips to all the major sights in Jasper National Park.

9. Swimming - Yes, the Jasper Aquatic Centre has an indoor pool, whirlpool and wading pool. Many of the hotels have swimming too.

10. Take in the scenery - If you walk to any of the above, it’s hard not to notice the mountains surrounding the townsite.

Bonus: While walking around town, you may stumble upon Jasper the Bear. He stands near the Jasper Information Center and makes for a nice photo opportunity.

That’s right. 2007 marks the centennial anniversary of Jasper National Park. 1907 is when the region was turned into a Canadian National Park.

Of course, Jasper’s history goes back beyond 1907, but it’s inclusion in the National Park system set into motion a series of actions that have preserved this place for all to see. (more…)