Jasper is a specialized municipality and

townsite A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat (United States) or plan ( ...

in western

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

within the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...

. The townsite is in the

Athabasca River The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') is a river in Alberta, Canada, which originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is ...

valley and is the commercial centre of

Jasper National Park Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...

History

Established in 1813,

Jasper House Jasper House National Historic Site, in Jasper National Park, Alberta, is the site of a trading post on the Athabasca River that functioned in two different locations from 1813 to 1884 as a major staging and supply post for travel through the Can ...

was first a

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

outpost of the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

, and later

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

, on the

York Factory Express The York Factory Express, usually called "the Express" and also the Columbia Express and the Communication, was a 19th-century fur brigade operated by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Roughly in length, it was the main overland connection between ...

trade route to what was then called "

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

" (now

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

) and

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the northern bank of th ...

on the lower

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. Jasper House was 35 km north of today's town of Jasper. Jasper Forest Park was established in 1907. The

railway siding A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighte ...

at the location of the future townsite was established by the

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National Tra ...

in 1911 and originally named Fitzhugh after a Grand Trunk vice president (along the Grand Trunk's "alphabet" line). The

Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Man ...

began service to its ''Jasper Park'' station in 1912, about 700 m from GTP's Fitzhugh station. The townsite was surveyed in 1913 by H. Matheson. It was renamed Jasper after the former fur trade post. An

internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

was set up at Dominion Park in Jasper from February 1916 to August 1916. Jasper Forest Park was renamed Jasper National Park in 1930. By 1931, Jasper was accessible by road from Edmonton. In 1940, the scenic

Icefields Parkway Highway 93 is a north–south highway in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway south of the Trans-Canada Highway ( Highway 1) and the Icefields Parkway north of the Trans-Canada Highway. It travels through ...

opened, connecting Jasper to Lake Louise and Banff in

Banff National Park Banff National Park is Canada's oldest National Parks of Canada, national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous terrain, wi ...

. The first step towards incorporation of Jasper occurred on August 31, 1995, when the ''Jasper Improvement District'' was formed from a portion of

Improvement District No. 12 Improvement District No. 12 (Jasper National Park), or Improvement District No. 12, is an List of communities in Alberta#Improvement districts, improvement district in Alberta, Canada. Coextensive with Jasper National Park in Alberta's Rockies, ...

(Jasper National Park). The improvement district was subsequently incorporated as a specialized municipality under the name of the ''Municipality of Jasper'' on July 20, 2001. The incorporation order established the Jasper townsite as the Town of Jasper and the surrounding balance of the specialized municipality as a rural service area that was deemed equivalent to a

municipal district A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It can refer to a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area. Brazil In Brazil, municipal districts are, in genera ...

Geography

The Municipality of Jasper is in the western portion of the province of Alberta within Jasper National Park. It borders the province of

to the west and

to the north, east, and south. The Athabasca River, which originates from the

Columbia Icefield The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in North America's Rocky Mountains. Located within the Canadian Rocky Mountains astride the Continental Divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in ...

, meanders northward through the municipality. The

Miette River The Miette River ( or ) is a short river in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It flows south-southwest through the Rocky Mountains before draining eastward into the Athabasca River at Jasper. The Miette forms at the base of Mount Moren, wi ...

Maligne River The Maligne River ( ) is a medium-sized river in the Canadian Rockies. It runs through parts of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The Maligne is a major tributary of the Athabasca River. The river takes from the French word for malignant or ...

, and Snaring River all discharge into the Athabasca River within the Municipality of Jasper's limits. The Jasper townsite, which is approximately west of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, north of Banff, and east of the

Yellowhead Pass The Yellowhead Pass is a mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas in the Canadian Rockies. It is located on the provincial boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and lies within Jasper ...

, is at the intersection of

Highway 16 Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to: International * Asian Highway 16 * European route E16 * European route E016 Australia - Thompsons Road (Victoria) - South Australia Canada ;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway: *Yellowhead Hi ...

(

Yellowhead Highway The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...

) and

Highway 93 Route 93 or Highway 93 can refer to: International * European route E93 Australia - Victoria Canada * Alberta Highway 93 * British Columbia Highway 93 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 93 * Ontario Highway 93 China * G93 Chengyu Ring Expr ...

(Icefields Parkway). It is near the confluence of the Athabasca River and Miette River. It lies between the

Victoria Cross Ranges The Victoria Cross Ranges ( to ) are a set of mountain ranges in the Canadian Rockies, located to the northwest of Jasper. Of the 19 peaks contained within this range, five are named after Canadian recipients of the Victoria Cross. The area of th ...

(northwest), Pyramid Mountain (north),

Maligne Range The Maligne Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies located directly southeast of Jasper, Alberta, Jasper townsite in Jasper National Park, Canada. The southern tail-end of the range finishes at Endless Chain Ridge. __NOTOC__ Mountains ...

(southeast) and Trident Ridge (southwest). Lakes near the Jasper townsite include Pyramid Lake,

Patricia Lake Patricia Douras Van Cleve (June 8, 1919 – October 3, 1993), known as Patricia Lake, was an American actress and radio comedian. Presented as the niece of actress Marion Davies, she was long suspected of being her natural daughter, fathered ...

, Lake Annette, Lake Edith,

Lac Beauvert Lac Beauvert, or Beauvert Lake () is a small lake (0.4 km²) in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is located next to the Jasper Park Lodge, a Fairmont Hotels and Resorts property. The lake is located 3 kilometres northeast of the tow ...

Maligne Lake Maligne Lake ( ) is a lake in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The lake is famed for the colour of its azure water, the surrounding peaks, the three glaciers visible from the lake, and Spirit Island, a frequently and very famously photograph ...

, and Medicine Lake.

Localities

The following localities are located within the Municipality of Jasper. *Bedson * Decoigne * Geikie *Henry House *Jasper *Jasper Lodge *Jasper National Park *Jasper Park Lodge *Medicine Lake *

Miette Hot Springs Miette Hot Springs are commercially developed hot springs located in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, near Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. ...

*Sixth Bridge *Wynd

Climate

Jasper experiences a borderline

Humid Continental A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

Subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...

climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Dfb''/''Dfc''). The highest temperature ever recorded in Jasper was on June 30, 2021. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on January 24, 1916. Summers in Jasper are pleasant, with daily highs usually around 21.1 °C (70 °F) and lows around 7.2 °C (45 °F). Winters are cold, though may be considered mild by Canadian standards, with daily highs around -2.2 °C (28 °F) and lows around -11.7 °C (11 °F).

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, the Municipality of Jasper had a population of 4,738 living in 1,674 of its 1,910 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 4,590. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of Jasper had a population of 4,590 living in 1,576 of its 1,702 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 4,432. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The population of the Municipality of Jasper according to its 2011 municipal census is 5,236, a change of 10.3% over its 2008 municipal census population of 4,745. Jasper's 2011 population of 5,236 comprises 4,584 permanent and 652 non-permanent residents, while its 2007 census counted 4,235 permanent and 510 non-permanent residents.

Attractions

The Fairmont

Jasper Park Lodge The Jasper Park Lodge is a 442 room hotel situated on 700 acre site along Lac Beauvert in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The hotel was established in 1921 by Canadian National Railway and is one of Canada's grand railway hotels. Hotel hi ...

, the

Marmot Basin Marmot Basin is an alpine ski area located on Marmot Mountain in Alberta's Jasper National Park. It has 91 named runs on four mountain faces with 3,000 vertical feet of drop. The area has a lift capacity of close to 12,000 skiers per hour on se ...

ski resort, and the Jasper Skytram, which carries visitors to The Whistlers' summit, are all near the townsite. Within the Jasper townsite are the Jasper Visitor Centre and the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives.

Government

Governance of Jasper is shared between the municipality and Parks Canada, an agency of the federal government.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Jasper railway station Jasper station is on the Canadian National Railway mainline in Jasper, Alberta. The station is served by Via Rail's ''The Canadian'' and is the eastern terminus for the Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train. The Rocky Mountaineer company tr ...

is served by

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

with two passenger services. ''

The Canadian ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' and the

Jasper–Prince Rupert train The Jasper–Prince Rupert train (formerly the ''Skeena'' and ''Panorama'', now known as Trains 5/6, sometimes called ''The Rupert Rocket'') is a Canadian passenger train service operated by Via Rail between Jasper, Alberta, Prince George and ...

both operate three times per week. Jasper Airport is located north of Jasper.

Education

Jasper's educational services are provided by: Grande Yellowhead Public School Division No. 77 *Jasper Elementary School (K–6 English & French Immersion) *

Jasper Junior Senior High School Jasper Junior Senior High School (JHS) is a public high school located in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Building The school is housed in a building of masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in ...

(7–12 English & French Immersion) Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2 * École Desrochers (K–12)

Media

Newspapers * '' Jasper Fitzhugh'' (locally-owned weekly) * ''The Local'' (locally owned weekly) Radio Television

Sister cities

Hakone, Kanagawa is a town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 11,293 and a population density of 122 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town is a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs and views of ...

, since July 4, 1972

Notable people

Ian Herbers Ian Herbers (born July 18, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, and former assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. Draft Herbers was drafted in the tenth round, 190th overall, by the Buffa ...

, NHL hockey player *

John Hilworth John Hilworth (born May 23, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 57 games in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings. Hilworth was born in Jasper, Alberta Jasper is a specialized municipality an ...

, NHL hockey player *

Erin Karpluk Erin Karpluk (born ) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her portrayal of Erica Strange on the CBC Television series ''Being Erica'' from 2009 to 2011. Early life Karpluk was born in Jasper, Alberta to a mother who was a high-school princ ...

, actress * Loni Klettl, Olympic Alpine skier - 1980 Lake Placid downhill * Wyatt Tremblay, editorial cartoonist *

Kirby Morrow Kirby Robert Morrow (1973 – November 18, 2020) was a Canadian actor, comedian and writer. In animation, he was known as the voice of Miroku from ''InuYasha'', its four movies, and '' Inuyasha: The Final Act'', Van Fanel from the Ocean dub o ...

(1973–2020), voice actor known for roles such as Miroku from ''

InuYasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...

'', Hot Shot from '' Transformers: Cybertron'', and

Cole Cole may refer to: Plants * Cole crops of the genus ''Brassica'', especially cabbage, kale, or rape (rapeseed). People * Cole (given name), people with the given name Cole * Cole (surname), people with the surname Cole Companies *Cole Motor ...

from ''

Ninjago Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. Whilst it retains some elements of the previous ...

'' * Brian Young,NHL Players from Jasper, Alberta , QuantHockey.com
Retrieved on March 19, 2011 NHL hockey player

References

External links

* * {{Canadian Rockies 1813 establishments in Canada 1995 establishments in Alberta Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Jasper National Park Populated places established in 1813 Specialized municipalities in Alberta