Pre-Jasper Forest Park
1810 was the first time in recorded history that any human visited Athabasca Valley, this was by Canadian fur trader & surveyor David Thompson. `The Northwest Fur Trade Company then built a supply depot on Brûlé Lake (located just off Jasper) in 1813. This settlement later became the Jasper house (named after Jasper Hawes, North West Company Clerk). After the decline of the fur trade, Jasper House was abandoned in 1884 & it came back again in 1907 when the Dominion Government named it 'Jasper Forest Park'
Jasper in world war time
The Royal Canadian Army & British took lakes to build a boat that was torpedo proof. This boat was to be made out of ice blocks and wood shavings. They called this substance Pykrete. The man who made this was given the name Geoffrey Pyke, a British engineer.